Abstract
As stomach cancer is very prevalent in Koreans, various factors, especially dietary factors, related to stomach cancer incidence were examined in a case-control study. The study population consisted of 105 individual s diagnosed for stomach cancer in two general hospitals and 124 control subjects, matched for age and sex, in Seoul. Data for general characteristics, family history, smoking and alcohol consumption, personality , dietary habits and food preference were obtained by self-administered questionnaire and personal interview. Heredity was found to be one of the most important factors causing stomach cancer. In addition, genetic inheritance tended to differ between the sexes. The male patients showed significantly higher incidence of their father's relatives than mother's relatives but the female patients showed higher incidence of their mother's relatives that father's relatives. Smoking was significantly related to stomach cancer. It was also found that the cases drank alcohol more frequently and in much greater quantity than the controls. Personality was related to the incidence of stomach cancer. The cases tended to be more sensitive , impatient, and anxious to do things quickly. With regards to dietary habits, the male cases had meals significantly more irregularly than the male controls. The relative risk of preferencefor salty food and ramen showed to be significantly very high. The male cases consumed carbonated beverages and instant foods, low intake of green yellow vegetables, smoking of cigarettes and drinking of alcohol may contribute to the risk of stomach cancer.