Pattern of primary gastrointestinal cancer: King Khalid University Hospital experience and review of published national data

ABSTRACT

This study is based on data collected from a total of 629 patients [435 male and 194 female] with histologically confirmed cancer of the primary gastrointestinal tract and its accessory glands, seen at King Khalid University Hospital [KKUH] between January 1985 and December 1993. During this period, a total of 2464 cancer cases were identified at KKUH. The relative frequency and rank of order are determined for various gastrointestinal cancers, as well as distribution according to age, sex and primary site affected. Gastrointestinal malignancy accounts for 25.5% of total cancer cases seen at KKUH. The mean age of patients was 59 +/- 17 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.241. Primary liver cancer was the most common malignancy [34%], followed by gastric cancer [18%], colorectal [17%] and esophageal cancer [12%]. We compared our findings with national published data from different provinces in Saudi Arabia. Results from this report stress the importance of prevention, screening and early detection for gastrointestinal malignancy