Incidence of gastrointestinal stromal tumor in Chinese urban population: A national population‐based study

BACKGROUND: Information on incidence of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), the most common type of mesenchymal tumor in gastrointestinal tract, was limited in China. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of GIST in urban population from mainland China in 2016. METHODS: Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) and Urban Residence Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) in China were used. The denominator of incidence was the total person‐years of insured individuals in 2016 in the database, covering approximately 0.43 billion individuals. The numerator was the number of incident GIST cases in 2016. RESULTS: The crude incidence in 2016 was 0.40 per 100,000 person‐years (95% CI, 0.06–1.03). Male incidence was higher than female incidence (0.44 vs. 0.36, rate ratio: 1.22, p < 0.001). The mean age at diagnosis was 55.20 years (SD = 14.26) and the incidence among those aged 50 years or older was 2.63 times (0.84 vs. 0.32, p < 0.001) higher than those aged under 50. The highest incidence was observed in East China (2.29, 95% CI: 0.46–5.54). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of GIST in mainland China was lower than Europe, North America and Korea. The mean age at diagnosis of GIST in China was younger than that of Europe and Canada. This study provides useful information to further research, policy formulating and management of GIST.