Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer

Gastric Cancer (GC) is the 5th most common cancer in the world, accounting for 5.7% of all new cancers, affecting one million people annually [1]. It is the third leading cause of death by cancer (DC), accounting for 8.2% (DC), or 782,000 deaths in 2018. The cumulative risk of death from GC, from birth to 74 years, is 1.36 % for males and 0.57% for females. Its incidence and mortality are highly variable, and will depend on the region in the world analyzed and its culture [2]. GC have been associated with diet and / or infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria. It’s more prevalent in men, and is more common in developed nations. The incidence of the GC is higher in Central and East Asia, and Latino America, but has been declining for the past 50 years, possibly due to the prevention and eradication of Helicobacter pylori bacteria. Ninety five percent of GC are adenocarcinomas, followed by primary gastric lymphomas. Survival of patients with GC at 5 years of diagnosis is 31% in the United States, this is because they are usually diagnosed at advanced stages. The majority of GC’s, are sporadic, but there is a hereditary tendency, as has been identified in several groups of families with GC (10%), and in about 1 to 3% of the families with Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer Syndrome (HDGCS).