Gastric cancer among Saudis women
From 2004 to 2017, the SCR recorded a total of 1589 cases of GC among Saudi women. According to Figure 1b, there were 70 GC cases in 2004 (4.4%). This number raised to 133 in 2011, showing a 4.0% increase. From 2012 to 2017, the number of GC cases fluctuated between 186 and 208 every year, suggesting a percentage range of 7.5% to 8.4% per year. However, from 2004 to 2017, the overall number of confirmed cases of GC among Saudi women were 110 (7.1%) per year. GC was diagnosed most commonly in Saudi women aged 75 and older, followed by those aged 70–74 years, who accounted for 20.4% (23 overall cases annually) and 11.1% (13 overall cases annually), respectively. However, the overall percentage of women in Saudi Arabia aged 50 or older who were diagnosed with GC reached 70.9% between the years 2004 and 2017. In contrast, younger Saudi women aged (0-49 years) had the smallest overall number of GC cases, with an average of 16.7% per year (Figure 1b). In addition, the overall age specific incidence rate of GC from 2004 to 2017, was high among Saudi women with the age groups 75 years and over, 70-74, 65-69, 60-64 at (18.3, 14.3, 9.8, and 6.5 per 100,000 people) (Figure 2).
According to Figure 3, the CIRs of GC cases among females in Saudi Arabia, adjusted by year of diagnosis from 2004 to 2017, per 100,000 people show a modest increase from 2004 to 2007, a small reduction from 2008 to 2012, and a steady trend from 2013 to 2017. The estimated CIR for 2004 was 0.8 per 100,000 people, and the highest CIR reported by the SCR was 1.7 per 100,000 people in 2007. Furthermore, the overall CIR of GC among Saudi women between 2004 and 2017 was 1.1 (95% CI: 0.9 to 1.2) per 100,000 people. The regions of Asir, Riyadh, and the Eastern region had the highest overall CIRs for GC among Saudi women, at 1,4, 1,3, and 1,3, respectively, per 100,000 people. The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences between these locations and other regions of Saudi Arabia χ2(12,N=181) =39.689, P < 0.001). In contrast, the region of Jazan had the lowest overall CIR of GC, at 0.4 per 100,000 people (Figure 4).
The ASIR of GC cases among Saudi women, adjusted by year of diagnosis from 2004 to 2017, was documented using the SCR (Figure 5). From 2004 to 2006, there was a modest rise, followed by a constant trend from 2007 to 2017. In 2006, the ASIR of GC was the highest at 2.7 per 100,000 people, but in 2012 and 2016, it was the lowest at 1.5 per 100,000 people. However, the overall ASIR of GC among Saudi women from 2004 to 2017 per 100,000 people was 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2 to 2.2). Furthermore, the overall ASIR of GC stratified by Saudi Arabian region from 2004 to 2017 per 100,000 people show that Riyadh, Najran, and the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia had the highest overall ASIR for GC at 2.6, 2.3, and 2.2 per 100,000 people, respectively. In contrast, the Jazan region had the lowest overall ASIR of GC at 0.5 per 100,000 people (Figure 6).