Stomach Cancer

Why is the impact of Stomach Cancer important to people in alberta?

Stomach cancer is the 14th most common cancer in Alberta.¹³
About 300 adults were diagnosed in 2015.²

Stomach cancer is more common in men than in women. About 6 out of 10 people who develop stomach cancer are men.¹³
Rates for stomach cancer begin rising about age 40 and increase with age.¹³

What can I do?

Experts agree that together, we can prevent about 77 out of every 100 cases of stomach cancer in Alberta.² Here’s how:

69%

About 69% of new stomach cancer cases across Canada in 2015 were linked to a bacterium called. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).⁶

H. pylori is mostly found in the stomach. It’s not known how many people have the infection because many who have the infection never have symptoms.

A study into colon cancer done in Ontario found that between about 17% and 38% of people with colon cancer also had the H. pylori bacterium in their stomach.³

People who have H. pylori infections are about 2.5 times more likely to develop certain kinds of stomach cancer.⁴

Tobacco smoking is linked to about 20% of new stomach cancer cases.⁷

Tobacco has cancer-causing toxins (called carcinogens) that damage cells in the stomach. Over time, the damaged cells can turn into cancer. You can lower your risk for stomach cancer when you quit using tobacco or cut down.

Not eating enough fruit is linked to about 3% of new stomach cancer cases in Alberta.⁸

Alcohol is linked to up to about 2% of new stomach cancer cases in Alberta.⁹
Excess weight is linked to about 4% of new stomach cancer cases in Alberta.¹⁰
Not being active enough is linked to about 12% of new stomach cancer cases in Alberta.¹¹
Eating too much processed and red meat is linked to about 9% of new stomach cancer cases in Alberta.¹²

The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) recommend eating less than 500 g (18 oz.) of red meat a week, with little or none of it processed.⁵