Fish consumption and gastric cancer within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project

Gastric cancer is among the most common cancer and cause of cancer death. We conducted a meta-analysis of 25 case–control studies from the Stomach cancer Pooling Project to assess the association between fish or canned fish consumption and the risk of gastric cancer. 10,431 cases and 24,903 controls were available. We found no association between fish consumption and risk of gastric cancer (pooled odds ratios (OR) = 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86–1.13, for at least one serving/week vs none). Geographical differences were found: in Asia an increased intake of fish was associated with a lower stomach cancer risk. In the sensitivity analyses, fish consumption was associated to a lower risk of gastric cancer in models adjusted for family history of gastric cancer (OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.72–0.89) and Helicobacter Pylori infection (OR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.60–0.88), but not for body mass index or energy intake. Seven studies collected information on canned fish (4525 cases and 8073 controls). No association was found for canned fish (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.82–1.13). In conclusion, our results provide evidence that fish and canned fish intake are not associated with gastric cancer risk, although geographical differences have been highlighted, with a lower risk of gastric cancer in Asia.