Stomach cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in Central Latin America and the fifth most common cancer by incident in the region. Understanding the epidemiology of stomach cancer is crucial to the appropriate planning, implementation and evaluation of comprehensive cancer control programs. The objective of this scoping review was to quantify the population-based incidence of stomach cancer in Central America from available data, identify reported risk factors, presentation and oncologic stage and explore the frequency of treatment used and survival outcomes for stomach cancer in Central America. Primary reports, cancer registries, hospital registries, endoscopy registries, case studies and case series focusing on the epidemiology of gastric cancer in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, along with its treatment modalities and mortality rates were included. After identifying 616 citations, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria and were selected for data extraction. 12 were from Costa Rica and 5 from Honduras, with few studies from other countries such as Belize, El Salvador and Panama. Crude rates of gastric adenocarcinoma varied widely across different studies, with rates ranging from 0.09/100,000 to 32.04/100,000 in Costa Rica between 1996 and 2015. Overall, there was a general decrease in crude rates over recent study periods. Studies in El Salvador and Panama reported lower crude rates compared to Costa Rica. Non-cardia cancers were more common than cardia cancers. Surgery was the main treatment discussed in the reviewed papers. Mortality data were limited. Our review highlights the need for reliable cancer registries in this region. Often, cancer registries provide the only opportunity for properly assessing the extent and nature of cancer burdens in developing countries. This information is crucial in creating priorities for cancer control public health programs.
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