INTESTINAL AND DIFFUSE TYPES OF GASTRIC-CANCER - SECULAR TRENDS IN SWEDEN SINCE 1951

In order to test the hypothesis that the general decline in gastric cancer observed in many countries is due to a selective decline in Lauren's intestinal type, we re-examined all 427 histologic sections obtained from gastric carcinomas diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden, in 1951, 1961, 1971 - 72 and 1981. The relative proportions of intestinal and diffuse type cancers were compared. The intestinal type was significantly (P < 0.001) more common among elderly people than in the younger age groups. The relative proportions of intestinal type carcinoma in the four periods under study were 65%, 55%, 42% and 60%, respectively. The absence of any clearly discernible trend over time contradicts the hypothesis of diverse secular trends for intestinal and diffuse types of gastric carcinoma.