Abstract:

Background and purpose: The morbidity and mortality of gastric cancer in Hehuang Valley are both on the high level in China. Hehuang Valley is located in the northeast of Qing-Tibetan Plateau where is in the special geographical position and a multiracial region. This study aimed to analyze the tendency and characteristics of clinical epidemiology about gastric cancer in Hehuang Valley, and to help the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer. Methods: A case-control study was performed, and the clinical data about epidemiology of 2 379 cases with gastric cancer in recent 10 years were analyzed retrospectively. Results: There were no statistical differences about the constituent ratio of gender in gastric cancer group (χ²=1.376, P=0.241), also, there were no statistical differences about racial distribution in gastric cancer group (χ²=0.757, P=0.685), but a significant difference was shown obviously about the constituent ratio of age in gastric cancer group (χ²=23.629, P=0.000). No statistical differences were demonstrated about the geographical distribution in gastric cancer group (χ²=1.102, P=0.294). There was an obvious statistical difference about family history in gastric cancer group in recent 10 years (χ²=45.082, P=0.000), Also, there was a significant difference between the group of recent 5 years and the group of late 5 years about HP infection (χ²=13.512, P=0.000). Some of the dietary habits such as alcohol drinking, fast food-intake, salty, fatty or spicy food-intake, strong tea (also called boiled tea) drinking and very hot or cool food-intake were related to the occurrence of gastric cancer in males (P<0.05). Nevertheless, the dietary habits of salty, fatty or spicy food-intake and strong tea drinking were associated to the occurrence of gastric cancer in females (P<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of gastric cancer tends to be younger even if the medium-elderly men are still the main group with predilection ages of occurrence of gastric cancer in Hehuang Valley. Rural areas are still the regions with high morbidity of gastric cancer in Hehuang Valley, and some bad dietary habits, HP infection and hereditary factors are associated with the occurrence of gastric cancer, so measures of dietary habits changes, HP eradication and hereditary surveillance must be taken as the main contents for primary prevention of gastric cancer in Hehuang Valley in the future.

Key words: Hehuang Valley, Gastric cancer, Clinical epidemiology