Estimation of salt intake from spot urine may assist the risk assessment of gastric cancer

Daily salt intake can be estimated by measuring sodium and creatinine concentrations in spot urine. Excessive salt intake is risk factor for gastric cancer. We examined the correlation between estimated salt intake from spot urine and risk of gastric cancer. This study included gastric cancer patients who underwent treatment at our hospital and patients in whom esophagogastro-duodenoscopy was performed but gastric cancer was not observed. The history of H. pylori infection was known in these patients. Spot urine was collected, and daily salt intake was estimated from urine sodium and urine creatinine. Mean estimated salt intake was significantly higher in 120 gastric cancer patients (9.18 g/day) than in 80 non-gastric cancer patients (8.22 g/day). Multivariate analysis revealed estimated salt intake and H. pylori infection to be independent risk factors for gastric cancer. Among H. pylori-infected patients, salt intake was significantly higher in gastric cancer patients (9.25 g/day) than in non-gastric cancer patients (8.01 g/day). In conclusion, salt intake estimated from spot urine was high in patients with gastric cancer, especially in H. pylori infected patients. Spot urine is a simple examination and it may be applied as a new risk assessment of gastric cancer.