Gastric Carcinoma: A Review of the Histopathological Features of Cases Seen at Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract

Aim: To describe the histopathological features of gastric carcinoma as seen in a tertiary institution in Nigeria and compare these with those of other populations. Methods: This is a retrospective study in which gastric surgical and endoscopic biopsies specimens seen over a 10 year period were reviewed with respect to age, sex and histopathological characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed for differences in proportion using Chi square by SPSS version 13. Results: Ninety-seven cases consisting of 37 gastrectomy specimens, 10 open biopsies and 50 endoscopic biopsies were studied. There was a slight male preponderance with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1. The peak age of occurrence was the 6th decade of life (mean age was 52.8 years). Most cases were located in the antro-pyloric region. Majority of the tumours were either fungating or excavated. The vast majority of cases were intestinal-type carcinomas. There were 40 well-differentiated, 30 moderately-differentiated and 27 poorly-differentiated tumours. More than 90% of the tumours were advanced carcinomas with majority showing evidence of metastatic spread most commonly to peri-gastric lymph nodes. Majority of the tumours were associated with chronic gastritis and H. pylori infection. Conclusion: This report highlights fundamental differences between the histopathological features of gastric carcinoma in Nigerians and those in other parts of the world, suggesting possible differences in their pathogenetic mechanisms and biologic behavior. It will be instructive to further investigate these differences.