Gastric cancer among Saudi men
A total of 2477 GC cases were reported by the SCR throughout the time
span commencing in January 2004 and ending in December 2017
respectively. This represents a small rise in the number of GC cases.
According to Figure 1a, there were 141 GC cases in 2004 (5.7%). This
number raised to 201 in 2009, showing a 2.4% increase. From 2010 to
2017, the number of GC cases fluctuated between 165 and 208 every year,
suggesting a percentage range of 6.5% to 8.4% per year. However, from
2004 to 2017, the overall number and percentage of GC cases among Saudi
males was 175 (7.1%) every year.
Using data from the SCR, the average number and percentage of GC cases
diagnosed in male Saudis by age group between 2004 and 2017 were
computed. The class width for age groups ranging from 0 to 4 years, 5 to
9 years, 10 to 14 years, 15 to 19 years, 20 to 24 years, and above 75
years of age was 5 years. From 2004 to 2017, GC was most commonly
diagnosed in Saudi males aged 75 years and older, then those aged 70–74
years, with 27.4% (48 overall cases annually) and 14.8% (26 overall
cases annually), respectively. However, the overall percentage of men in
Saudi Arabia aged 50 or older who were diagnosed with GC reached 83.3%
between the years 2004 and 2017. In contrast, younger Saudi male age
groups (0-49 years) had the lowest cases of GC, with an annual average
percentage of 16.7% (Figure 1a). Furthermore, the overall age specific
incidence rate of GC among Saudi males was high from 2004 to 2017, with
the age groups 75 years and older, 70-74, 65-69, and 60-64 at (37.6,
27.2, 17.2, and 10.9 per 100,000 people). However, the male-to-female
ratio of the age-specific incidence rate of GC was three times greater
among Saudi males aged 55 to 75 and older, whereas there was no
significant difference in the age-specific incidence sex ratio for the 0
to 54 age group (Figure 2).
According to Figure 3, the CIRs of GC cases among Saudi males show a
little increase from 2004 to 2009, a slight decline from 2010 to 2011,
and then a constant trend from 2012 to 2017. The estimated CIR for 2004
was 1.7 per 100,000 people, and the highest CIR reported by the SCR was
2.2 per 100,000 people in 2009. In addition, the overall CIR of GC among
Saudi males between 2004 and 2017 was 1.6 (95% CI: 1.3 to 1.8) per
100,000 people. The t-test for two independent samples revealed that the
CIR of GC in male Saudis was considerably higher than in females (t(23)
= 3.823, P 0.001). However, the overall CIR male-to-female ratio from
2004 to 2017 per 100,000 people was 1.5. Among Saudi men in Asir,
Makkah, and Riyadh, the overall CIRs for GC were the highest at 2,3,
2,1, and 2,0 per 100,000 people, respectively. Statistically, these
districts of Saudi Arabia are distinct from the rest of the country, as
shown by the Kruskal-Wallis test (2(12,N=181) =52,298;
P<0.001).In contrast, the smallest overall CIR of GC was
reported in both Jazan and Jouf regions, at 1.1 per 100,000 people
(Figure 4).
The ASIR of GC cases among male Saudis, adjusted by year of diagnosis
from 2004 to 2017 per 100,000 people, was observed using the SCR (Figure
5). Similarly, there was a small increase from 2004 to 2009, then steady
decrease from 2010 to 2017. In 2006 and 2009, the ASIR of GC was the
highest at 3.9 per 100,000 people, but in 2014 the rate was the lowest
at 2.4 per 100,000 people. However, from 2004 to 2017, the overall ASIR
of GC among Saudi males per 100,000 persons was 2.8 (95% CI, 2.2 to
3.2). The t-test for two independent samples revealed that the Saudi
male ASIR of GC was noticeably higher than that of Saudi females t(20) =
8.823, P<0.001) However, from 2004 to 2017, the overall
male-to-female ratio of ASIR per 100,000 males was 1.5. According to
Figure 6, Riyadh, Najran and the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia, had the
highest overall ASIR for GC at 4.0 and 3.8 per 100,000 people. the
Kruskal-Wallis test showed that these areas were significantly different
from other regions of Saudi Arabia (2(12,N=180) =59.556,
P<0.001). In contrast, Jazan, Hail, and Baha had the smallest
overall ASIR of GC at 1.6, 1.5, and 1.5, respectively.