No abstract

Background Gastric cancer (GC) is still one of the major causes of cancer mortality. Due to health-related transitions, the epidemiology of GC subtypesmaybe changed. These changes may have profound effects on the clinical approaches, and public health management of GC. Iran, as a developing country, has experienced huge demographic and epidemiological transitions during recent decades. We aimed to investigate subtype-specific population-based incidence trends of GC in southern Iran. Methods We used data on GC incidence in southern Iran for 2001–2015. Data preparation and subtype grouping were done based on the ICD-O-3. Trends of age-standardized incidence rate (ASR), truncated ASRs, the incidence rate of early-onset, adenocarcinoma, and cardia GC, and age-gender specific rates were analyzed applying joinpoint regression modeling. Annual percentage change (APC) and its 95%confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Results Overall APC was estimated at 7.2 for males and 8.7 for females. Estimated APCs for trends of overall GC, and gastric adenocarcinoma were stable for both genders during 2009 to 2015, while the trends of cardia GC were increasing for both genders. Estimated APCs for trends of non-cardia GC wasalso stable. Conclusion Overall trends of incidence of GC in southern Iran have been stable for the last decade. However, significant and different changes in the pattern of GC have occurred.Etiological and prognostic studies are needed in Iran for improvement of the GC management.