Gastric cancer epidemiology and risk factors

Gastric cancer is a prevalent yet heterogeneous disease. From diet and lifestyle to genetics and ethnicity, our appreciation of the complexity of gastric cancer has evolved. This review will discuss the epidemiology of gastric cancer focusing on trends across various risk categories. We realize that gastric cancer is not merely a single disease, but rather individual diseases within a single organa distinction that will aid our understanding of disease heterogeneity and its significance. J. Surg. Oncol. 2013;107:230236. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.