Early Detection is Important to Reduce the Economic Burden of Gastric Cancer

Abstract

PurposeEarly detection of gastric cancer is important to improve prognosis. Early detection enables local treatment, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Therefore, we investigated whether early detection of gastric cancer could reduce healthcare costs by comparison according to stage and treatment modalities.Materials and MethodsMedical care costs were investigated according to tumor stage and initial treatment modality in 1,188 patients newly diagnosed with gastric cancer at 7 medical institutions from December 2011 to June 2012. Total medical care costs during the first-year after diagnosis (total first-year costs) were examined, including the costs of initial treatment, post-initial treatment, and inpatient and outpatient visits.ResultsStage I (75.3%) was the most common cancer stage. ESD was the second most common treatment following surgery. Total first-year costs increased significantly from stages I to IV. The costs of initial treatment and post-initial treatment were lowest in patients with stage I cancer. Among patients with stage I cancer, total first-year costs were significantly lower when treated by ESD; in particular, initial ESD treatment costs were much lower than others.ConclusionsThe cost of healthcare has increased significantly with increasing cancer stages. ESD can greatly reduce medical care costs of gastric cancer. Thus, early detection of gastric cancer is important to reduce healthcare costs.

Clinical Practice Guideline for Endoscopic Resection of Early Gastrointestinal Cancer

“…Endoscopic resection, which preserves the entire stomach, improves the quality of life, causes lesser complications, requires a shorter hospital stay, and is more cost-effective than surgical resection. [93][94][95][96][97][98] In conclusion, we recommend endoscopic resection as the first line of treatment for well or moderately differentiated tubular or papillary gastric adenocarcinoma measuring ≤2 cm in diameter without endoscopic signs of ulcer and submucosal invasion since endoscopic resection is comparable to surgical resection in terms of survival, is associated with a satisfactory quality of life, and is economical. [93][94][95][96] Statement G4: We suggest endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer of well or moderately differentiated tubular or papillary adenocarcinoma with the following endoscopic findings: (1) mucosal cancer >2 cm without ulcer, or (2) mucosal cancer ≤3 cm with ulcer (Grade of recommendation: weak, Level of evidence: moderate).…”

Nesfatin‑1 is a potential diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer

“…According to the results of the 2015 China Cancer Statistics, released by the National Central Cancer Registry of China, the estimated incidence of GC in China is ~679,000 cases in 2015, second only to lung cancer (2). Epidemiological data has revealed that the 5-year survival rate is >90% for early-stage GC, with a poor prognosis observed for advanced GC cases (3). Therefore, improving the diagnostic rate of GC and its precancerous form is of great significance in the treatment and prognosis of GC.…”

Retracted Article: Long non-coding RNA XIST promotes proliferation, autophagy and inhibits apoptosis by regulating microRNA-30c/ATG5 axis in gastric cancer

“…2,3 The lack of early diagnosis and effective therapy is the major reason for the deaths of GC patients, concomitant with the massive healthcare costs. [4][5][6] Hence, it is imperative to have a deep insight into the etiology of GC so as to discover some effective management strategies.…”