RESUMO
PURPOSE: Gastric cancer is endemic in the so-called stomach cancer region comprising Rwanda, Burundi, South Western Uganda, and eastern Kivu province of Democratic Republic of Congo, but its outcomes in that region are under investigated. The purpose of this study was to describe the short-term outcomes (in-hospital mortality rate, length of hospital stay, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month survival rates) in patients treated for gastric cancer in Rwanda. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data collected from records of patients who consulted Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK) over a period of 10 years from September 2007 to August 2016. We followed patients before and after discharge for survival data. Baseline demographic data studied using descriptive statistics, whereas Kaplan-Meier model and univariate Cox regression were used for survival analysis. RESULTS: Among 199 patients enrolled in this study, 92 (46%) were males and 107 (54%) females. The age was ranging between 24 and 93 years with a mean age of 55.4. The mean symptom duration was 15 months. Many patients had advanced disease, 62.3% with distant metastases on presentation. Treatment with curative intent was offered for only 19.9% of patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 13.3%. The 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month survival rate was 52%, 40.5%, 28%, and 23.4%, respectively. The overall survival rate was 7 months. CONCLUSION: Rwanda records a high number of delayed consultations and advanced disease at the time of presentation in patients with gastric cancer. This cancer is associated with poor outcomes as evidenced by high hospital mortality rates and short post discharge survival.
