Purpose: Gastric cancer is the most frequent digestive system cancer in Turkey. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sociodemographic, environmental, dietary and reproductive factors on the development of this malignancy.
Methods: 150 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer and 300 healthy controls were included in the present study. Sociodemographic, environmental, dietary and reproductive factors that might affect the risk of gastric cancer were retrospectively investigated.
Results: Examination of the dietary menus revealed that consumption of animal fats, pickled and salted foods were considerably higher (p<0.001) in gastric cancer compared to controls. Consumption of meat and eggs were significantly different (p=0.048) between gastric cancer patients and the control group. Consumption of bread and cereal products (p<0.001), milk and milk products (p<0.001), orange juice (p=0.022), tea and coffee (p=0.004 and p=0.002) was markedly lower in the gastric cancer patients. Consumption of pickles was an independent risk factor for development of gastric cancer. Eating too hot foods and barbecued meat was also shown to increase the risk of gastric cancer (p<0.001). In addition, the educational level of the patients was also lower compared to those of the control group (p=0.033). Women with onset of menarche at 15 years and above also possessed a higher risk for gastric cancer (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Environmental and dietary factors play a significant role in the development of gastric cancer.