Clinical- Epidemiological Profile of Gastric Neoplasms in the Cancer Hospital of Ceara's Cancer Institute, from the Period 2000-2004

Abstract

In 2008, it is estimated that there will be 14,080 new cases of stomach cancer among men and 7,720 among women in Brazil. In the state of Ceará, it is supposed that this will be the second most common type of cancer among men, and the third among women. To review the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with stomach cancer, a descriptive, cross-quantitative and retrospective research was done, using data from the Hospital-Based Cancer Registry and by reviewing medical records. The research includes 607 patients with stomach cancer that were treated at Ceará's Cancer Institute Cancer Hospital from 2000 to 2004. Approximately two thirds (63.3%) are male, whose average age is 62 years for men, and 58 years for women. Most of them (63.5%) have a low educational level. The most frequent subsite is the body (43.2%). As for the histological type, the epithelial neoplasms represent 85.7%, 70.0% of which is adenocarcinoma. In Lauren's classification, the intestinal type of this cancer is more common. In neoplasms with informed staging, the majority (77.7%) is in the advanced stage (III or IV). There is evidence of statistically significant differences when comparing subsites and age (proximal - average among the elder), histological type by age (intestinal - average among the elder), gender (intestinal- more frequent in men and diffused in women) and educational level (intestinal was linked to a lower educational level). Stomach neoplasms comprise a significant percentage of tumors seen in the hospital and the data follows the profile described in the literature regarding the subsite, histological type, cancer stage, age, gender and educational level.