BACKGROUND

Eastern Asia has historically had the highest global incidence and mortality rates of gastric cancer (GC) while substantial disparities exist between countries. The overall burden of GC remains insufficiently explored.

OBJECTIVE

Using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, this research aims to estimate the burden and risk factors of GC in Eastern Asia from 1990 to 2021.

METHODS

Incidence, age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), deaths, age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), disability-adjusted life years, age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rate (ASDR), and risk factor burdens for GC were analyzed in Eastern Asia from 1990 to 2021. Joinpoint analysis determined average annual percent change (AAPC) and annual percent change, while age-period-cohort analysis assessed temporal trends. The Bayesian age-period-cohort model projected GC burden from 2021 to 2035. All analyses used R software (version 4.4.1; R Foundation for Statistical Computing).

RESULTS

In 2021, Eastern Asia reported 748,235 new GC cases and 527,054 deaths, accounting for 60.8% (748,235/1,230,232) of new cases and 55.2% (527,054/954,373) of deaths reported globally. From 1990 to 2021, South Korea showed the largest declines in ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR, with ASMR decreasing from 55.4 per 100,000 to 13.3 per 100,000 (AAPC -4.5, 95% CI -4.8 to -4.3). ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR also showed a downward trend in Japan and China, with an AAPC of -3.0 (95% CI -3.2 to -2.8) for ASMR in Japan and -2.4 (95% CI -2.6 to -2.3) in China. The GC burden of North Korea was basically stable, with an AAPC of ASMR of -0.8 (95% CI -0.8 to -0.8). Mongolia showed a slight decline, with an AAPC of ASMR of -1.4 (95% CI -1.7 to -1.0), and the burden of GC was the highest. High-sodium diets and smoking were the main risk factors for disability-adjusted life years of GC in 2021. Smoking contributed to a decline in ASDR as the sociodemographic index increased. Projections suggest continued ASDR reductions across Eastern Asia from 2022 to 2035, though Mongolia will maintain the highest burden.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a decrease from 1990 to 2021, GC remains a significant public health issue in Eastern Asia. Addressing it necessitates prioritizing primary and secondary prevention, including reducing risk factors and enhancing early screening.