(Press-News.org) SAN DIEGO, CA. (MAY 3, 2025) Stomach cancers are increasingly being diagnosed at less advanced, more treatable stages — a shift that marks major progress in detecting one of the deadliest forms of cancer, according to a study to be presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025.
“These trends suggest that advancements in endoscopic imaging, along with more widespread use of upper endoscopy, may be helping doctors find stomach cancer earlier,” said Mohamed Tausif Siddiqui, MD, the study’s lead author and a gastroenterology fellow at Cleveland Clinic. “These shifts are important because catching stomach cancer earlier can lead to less-invasive treatment and better patient outcomes.”
Stomach cancer remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer worldwide, with the American Cancer Society predicting about 26,500 new cases and more than 10,800 deaths in the U.S. in 2025.
Using data from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER-22 database, researchers found that diagnoses of early-stage stomach cancer rose steadily from 2004 to 2021, increasing by approximately 53%, while more advanced cases — where the cancer had already spread to nearby lymph nodes or distant organs — dropped significantly.
Overall, the incidence of stomach cancer in the U.S. has declined slightly over the past two decades, from 8.44 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 7.53 in 2021. The lowest rate, 6.42 per 100,000, was recorded in 2020, likely reflecting a temporary drop in medical procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the study, 2021 marked the first year in which localized, early-stage stomach cancer became the most common stage at diagnosis, overtaking advanced-stage cases. From 2004 to 2021, diagnoses involving regional spread decreased by 38%, while distant-stage cases dropped by nearly 8%. While early-stage stomach cancer is generally more treatable, the study did not examine whether these shifts in diagnosis stage have led to changes in mortality rates.
Dr. Siddiqui said the study underscores the potential value of early detection strategies and supports the continued utilization of high-quality endoscopy tools and techniques. It also raises the possibility that screening high-risk individuals could further improve survival rates.
People at highest risk for stomach cancer include those with Helicobacter pylori infection, a family history of the disease, certain inherited genetic conditions, or long-term digestive symptoms such as acid reflux.
Dr. Siddiqui said that newer technologies — such as high-definition endoscopes, narrow-band imaging, and endoscopic ultrasound — allow physicians to detect subtle mucosal changes during gastric evaluation. These innovations, combined with heightened clinical attention to gastrointestinal symptoms, may explain the positive shift in trends.
Dr. Amit Bhatt, staff gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic and the senior author on the study, said there is a need for further research to better define the evolving demographics of stomach cancer in the U.S. He said the findings could help elevate discussions about targeted screening for gastric cancers in high-risk groups — bringing attention to an issue that may warrant greater public health focus in the future.
DDW Presentation Details
Dr. Siddiqui will present data from the study, “A two-decade evolution in early gastric cancer detection: Patterns and insights from SEER data,” abstract Sa1374 at 12:30 p.m. PDT on Saturday, May 3. For more information about featured studies, as well as a schedule of availability for featured researchers, please visit www.ddw.org/press.
###
Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers, and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy, and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW is an in-person and online meeting from May 3-6, 2025. The meeting showcases nearly 6,000 abstracts and more than 1,000 lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine, and technology. More information can be found at www.ddw.org
END
SAN DIEGO, CA. (MAY 3, 2025) — Anal cancer has been steadily increasing in the United States, with the biggest jumps among older women, especially white and Hispanic women — a shift that challenges assumptions about high-risk groups and who should be screened, according to a study to be presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025.
“Rates of anal cancer are rising fastest among white and Hispanic women over 65 — groups not traditionally considered high risk,” said lead author Ashley Robinson, MD, a second-year internal medicine resident at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. “While the exact reasons behind ...
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that impaired glucose metabolism in glial cells, a type of cell in our nervous system, plays a key role in the degeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Using fruit fly retinas, they showed that promoting glucose metabolism in glial cells with tau protein build-up, like in Alzheimer’s patients, helps relieve inflammation and photoreceptor degeneration. Their findings present an exciting new therapeutic target for treating neurodegenerative conditions.
Alzheimer’s ...
Two-Week Radiotherapy Proven as Safe and Effective as Eight-Week Course for Prostate Cancer, After 10-Year Follow-Up in Phase III Trial
Vienna, Austria — Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide, accounting for more than 1.4 million new cases each year [1]. For many patients, radiotherapy is a standard treatment option that offers outcomes comparable to surgery, particularly for localised disease [2]. As an outpatient procedure, it allows men to maintain much of their daily ...
The Columbia University Fertility Center, which has cared for families and advanced the field of reproductive medicine for over 40 years, was ranked #1 on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Fertility Clinics for 2025.
The ranking was determined through a nationwide survey of reproductive medicine professionals, performance criteria and success rates, clinic accreditations and certifications, and patient satisfaction.
"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized as the top fertility center in the country,” says Zev Williams, MD, PhD, director of the Columbia University Fertility ...
The National Academy of Sciences has elected two of Boston Children Hospital's most preeminent scientists to join their ranks - George Daley, MD, PhD, and Jeffrey Holt, PhD.
Established by an Act of Congress signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is committed to furthering science nationally, and to contributing to the international scientific community. Elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research, members of the NAS are charged with providing independent, objective advice to the ...
New research reveals that shifts in plant life played a key role in speeding up major climate changes during the late Miocene, a period spanning 11.6 to 5.3 million years ago.
During this time, Earth’s climate shifted from the warm conditions of the middle Miocene to conditions closer to what we experience today, turning forests into grasslands and forcing animals like horses and elephants to evolve tougher teeth for eating gritty plants. At the same time, predators like big cats adapted to hunting in open plains, reshaping life on ...
Swarms of earthquakes have been jolting southern Italy with increasing intensity since 2022, threatening hundreds of thousands of people living atop a volcanic area known as Campi Flegrei, where the land experiences slow vertical movements. While authorities debate disaster responses and evacuation protocols, researchers may have found a way to thwart the cyclic unrest altogether: by managing water runoff or lowering groundwater levels, thus reducing fluid pressure within the geothermal reservoir.
Through subsurface ...
Viruses are known to use the genetic machinery of the human cells they invade to make copies of themselves. As part of the process, viruses leave behind remnants throughout the genetic material (genomes) of humans. The virus-like insertions, called “transposable elements,” are snippets of genetic material even simpler than viruses that also use host cell machinery to replicate.
Nearly all these inserted elements have been silenced by our cells’ defense mechanisms over time, but a few, nicknamed “jumping genes,” can still move around the ...
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) announced Bill Gropp, director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, was one of six researchers to receive the 2024 ACM Software System Award for their innovative work on MPICH, a high-performance and widely portable implementation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard.
The ACM Software System Award is presented to an institution or individual(s) recognized for developing a software system that has had a lasting influence, reflected in contributions to concepts, commercial acceptance or both. Created more than three decades ...
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The future of electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring may soon look like a strand of hair. In place of the traditional metal electrodes, a web of wires and sticky adhesives, a team of researchers from Penn State created a hairlike device for long-term, non-invasive monitoring of the brain’s electrical activity. The lightweight and flexible electrode attaches directly to the scalp and delivers stable, high-quality recordings of the brain’s signals.
EEG is critical for diagnosing and assessing neurological conditions like epilepsy and brain injuries. In some cases, clinicians need to monitor brain waves for longer periods ...
