Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
The aim of the study is to assess the following points among the patients with gastric cancer admitted to the surgical wards in Imam Ali Hospital- Al- Sadder City- Baghdad.
• Sex and age distribution.
• Mode of presentation.
• Results of endoscopic findings and histopathology.
• Risk factors and tumour staging.
• Treatment options.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
A prospective study was done in Imam Ali Hospital for a period of six years from (January 2009 to December 2014) where fifty cases with biopsy proved gastric cancer had been assessed. The age and sex distribution, mode of presentation, site of the tumour, macrosopical appearances histopathological findings, risk factors and treatment options were analysed.
RESULTS:
The male to Female ratio was 1.4:1, peak age incidence was 60-70 years, non-specific symptoms such as vague epigastric pain, dyspepsia, anorexia, weight loss were the most common symptoms; esophagogastric junction was the commonest site, polypoid type was the commonest endoscopic finding (44%); upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsy was the most accurate method of diagnosing gastric cancer; Adencarcinoma was the most frequent histopathological type (96%); cigarette smoking is the predominant risk factor (64%) (32, 33, 34, 35); In the majority of those patients the disease was advanced and the curative measures were not possible.
CONCLUSION:
Gastric cancer remains a significant problem in Iraq, it's one of the most popular malignancies (ninth most common in Iraq) (37). No age group of both sexes can be excluded. Late presentation is a stigmata of the disease and the gloomy prognosis can only be improved by early detection based on a more vigorous diagnostic approach following a high risk index of suspicion in individuals at risk.