ABSTRACT
Objectives: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of gastric cancer in adult patients [>16 years] who underwent Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at Prince Rashid Hospital in the north of Jordan
Methods: Analytical study on patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy examinations at Prince Rashid Hospital between January 2011 and October 2015. Age, gender, symptoms, types and site of tumor were recorded for patients discovered to have gastric cancer
Results: Of 4115 patients who underwent upper endoscopy during the study period for different indications, only 115 patients[3%] were found to have macroscopic features of gastric cancer, and [90%] of them [104 patients] had the histopathological confirmation of gastric cancer; 70 males[67%] and 34 females [33%]; mean age was 48 [range 16-81] years. Fatigue, and bloating after meals were the most common symptoms of gastric cancer. The most common site of gastric cancer was in the distal stomach. Intestinal type and poorly differentiated carcinoma were the most common
Conclusion: The prevalence of gastric cancer in our patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at Prince Rashid Hospital was 3%. Studies are needed to determine the prevalence in the general population and to investigate the possible risk factors, so that a proper plan of action and treatment are put in place