[Mortality of gastric cancer in Catalonia, Spain: geographical distribution and time trends from 1986 to 2000].

Background And Objective: The aims of this study are to describe the time trends and the changes in the spatial distribution of stomach cancer mortality by gender, in Catalonia, Spain, in the period 1986-2000.

Material And Method: The mortality data comes from the Mortality Register for Catalonia at the Health Department and the population data from the Institute of Statistics for Catalonia. To analyze time trends, a Poisson regression model was adjusted for each gender. To analyze the geographical distribution, a Bayesian hierarchical model was used.

Results: During the period 1986-2000 the number of deaths from stomach cancer was 8,627 for males and 5,831 for females. During this period the estimated decrease in mortality was 3.13% for males and 3.91% for females. The spatial analysis showed the lowest mortality risk areas along the coast while the mortality risk increased toward the zones in the interior. This geographical pattern is very similar for both sexes but in the lasts years of the period it has been fading.

Conclusions: The time trends and the geographical pattern of stomach cancer mortality in Catalonia is similar for both sexes and it is consistent with the trends observed in other developed countries. This suggests a relationship with improved food habits and a better accessibility to health care in the areas of higher risk.