Funded by Hammersmith Medicines Research
The incidence and mortality of gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma have risen rapidly since the early seventies and a similar trend has been noticed for carcinoid tumours. The reasons for these changes are, however, still unknown.
This study aims at providing a better understanding into the aetiology of gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma, and gastric carcinoids, with a view to ascertain the reasons behind the observed trends. The main hypothesis is that therapy with acid suppressor drugs increases the risk of developing gastro-oesophageal adenocarcionoma, as well as gastric carcinoids; thus, the wide availability and use of these drugs during the last three decades may explain some of the increase in the incidence and mortality of these cancers. This association will be documented through a large epidemiologic study based on the information obtained by linking the Cancer Registry data for England with the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), which will also facilitate follow-up and diagnostic validation processes as well as the investigation of other risk factors.