Stomach cancer is considered one of the deadliest forms of cancer. It is ranked third in the top 10 cancer killers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Last year, stomach cancer accounts for 723,000 deaths or 8.8 percent mortality rate worldwide.

This year, 21,600 estimated new cases of stomach cancer were reported and the number of deaths was estimated at 10,990 in the U.S. alone.

So, what causes stomach cancer? The exact cause of stomach cancer is not yet known, but experts suggest a variety of factors that increase the risk of acquiring the disease. Some of these factors include, gender, race, genetics, geography, blood type, advanced age, and lifestyle.

However, there was one interesting finding in the U.K. that might have been overlooked, but useful to the rest of the world.

Sometime in July last year, the BBC reported that reducing the consumption of salt and food products high on salt could cut the risk of getting stomach cancer. The BBC story was based on a report by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), an international network of charities whose aim is cancer prevention. WCRF studied in detail the impact of salt and how it's related to stomach cancer.

The report also found that in the U.K. alone, one in seven cases of stomach cancer could be prevented if people reduce their consumption of salt or food products that are high on salt content.

"Stomach cancer is difficult to treat successfully because most cases are not caught until the disease is well established," said Kate Mendoza, head of health information at WCRF. "This places even greater emphasis on making lifestyle choices to prevent the disease occurring in the first place - such as cutting down on salt intake and eating more fruit and vegetables."

Although the report has not categorically stated that salt directly causes stomach cancer, the WCRF report based its conclusions on certain types of diet associated with atrophic gastritis, a condition that inflames the lining in the stomach and leads to cellular changes. These changes have the potential to cause cancer in the stomach.