Increased risk of early-onset gastric cancer among adults aged 20-49 years with diabetes: nationwide cohort study in South Korea

Although overall gastric cancer incidence in South Korea has declined, the incidence of early-onset gastric cancer (EOGC) is rising. A nationwide cohort study in South Korea investigated the association between glycemic status and EOGC risk. The study included 2,439,112 adults aged 20-49 years without a prior cancer diagnosis who underwent national health screening in 2012, who were followed through 2022. The incidence rate of EOGC during follow-up increased with worsening glycemic status in 2012. These results were consistent in spline, inverse probability weighting, and exclusion of early diabetes analyses. The authors conclude that worsening glycemic status is associated with increased risk of EOGC in a dose-dependent manner.