Work

Global and regional gastric cancer burden and age-related survival disparities: complementary analyses of GBD 2021 and SEER data

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Global gastric cancer burden and patient-level survival disparities are often examined separately. This separation limits understanding of how population-level age patterns relate to clinical presentation and prognosis. We used GBD 2021 and SEER as complementary evidence sources to evaluate global and regional burden and age-related survival disparities in gastric cancer. Methods: GBD 2021 estimates assessed incidence, deaths, and DALYs during 1990-2021 at Global, five SDI groups, and GBD-region levels. Numbers, age-standardized rates, 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were reported. An adenocarcinoma-focused SEER cohort diagnosed in 2000-2021 was evaluated across AYA (15-39 years), middle-aged (40-64 years), and older (>=65 years) groups using overall survival (OS), conventional cancer-specific survival, cumulative-incidence functions (CIFs), Gray tests, and cause-specific Cox models. Results: Global incident cases increased from 980,899 (95% UI 891,307-1,072,236) in 1990 to 1,230,233 (1,052,350-1,409,970) in 2021, whereas the age-standardized incidence rate declined from 24.76 to 14.33 per 100,000. The SEER cohort included 89,798 patients; OS and cause-specific cohorts included 89,622 and 88,109 patients. Compared with AYA, follow-up-averaged primary Model 2 associations for older adults were HR 1.73 (95% CI 1.66-1.79) for all-cause death and 1.52 (1.46-1.58) for gastric-cancer death. CIFs showed greater non-cancer mortality among older adults. Conclusions: Gastric cancer remains a substantial population burden despite declining age-standardized rates. Complementary population-level and U.S. patient-level evidence indicates age-related heterogeneity in burden, clinical presentation, competing mortality, and survival associations. These observations support population-level burden reduction alongside age-aware clinical management.

Source: Frontiers in Oncology

DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2026.1880227

Authors: Jie Cheng, Ruitong Sun, Yun Gong, Die Fan, Lixing Wang

Institutions: Kunming University of Science and Technology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Global Cancer Incidence and Screening

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801