Background: Oesophageal and gastric cancers comprise various common tumour types with possible different aetiology and historically different incidence trends.
Aim: To enhance and update evidence about the descriptive epidemiology of oesophageal and gastric cancers.
Methods: Population-based information from the East of England was available on 16 319 (65% male) incident cases of oesophago-gastric cancer (ICD-10 C150-169) diagnosed during 1995-2006. Age-standardized incidence trends by gender and deprivation groups and sex ratios were compared for four different tumour types [oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), junctional/cardia adenocarcinoma (JCA), and non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma (NCGA)].
Results: Between 1995-1997 and 2004-2006, the age-standardized incidence of OAC and JCA increased slightly (by 4% and 6% in men and 17% and 8% in women respectively), with a sex ratio >4 for both. Conversely, OSCC and NCGA incidence decreased (-20% and -32% in men and -15% and -26% in women respectively), with sex ratio of <2 for both. In men, OSCC and NCGA incidence was associated with increasing deprivation.
Conclusions: Within the study context, there was a modest rise in OAC and JCA incidence. OAC and JCA share common incidence trends and sociodemographic features (contrasting with those of OSCC and NCGA cancers).