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Bhubaneswar: In a first-of-its-kind study in India, a team of gastroenterologists and hepatologists have found high prevalence of early-stage gastric cancer in Odisha, proving endoscopic diagnosis of gastric cancer and early-stage gastric cancer feasibility.
Gastric cancer has become a major public health problem, with increasing morbidity and mortality worldwide. In India, gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer, accounting for 7.2% of all cases, with higher incidence rates in the northeastern states, which are comparable to high-incidence regions globally.
The study, conducted by Sai Institute of Gastroenterology and Liver Sciences (SIGLS), Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, US, and International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan, revealed that the prevalence of early-stage gastric cancer in the state is approx. 0.6%.
“So far, gastric cancer is a well-known health problem in the country as early detection is rarely or not feasible. We have detected early gastric cancer through endoscopic diagnosis for the first time in this study,” said Dr. Ashutosh Mohapatra, founder of SIGLS .
A total of 1,033 patients with abdominal symptoms were included in the study, 65% of whom were male, with an average age of 52 years. Twenty-five (2.4%) were found to have gastric cancer and 6 (0.6%) were found to have early-stage gastric cancer.
Two patients had cancer in two or more sites. All early gastric cancer patients were male, with an average age of 66 years. Cancer was detected in the distal stomach, along with Helicobacter pylori infection (a bacterial infection) and severe atrophic gastritis.
Among the 6 patients with early-stage gastric cancer, 5 underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection and successfully recovered, and 1 died due to other reasons without treatment. Additionally, 19 patients (1.8%) were diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer during the study period.
Dr. Mohapatra said the findings suggest that early gastric cancer can be detected through endoscopy in India. Optimal training in endoscopic diagnosis could improve detection and recovery rates of such lesions, he said. “Diagnosis of early gastric cancer is not difficult if endoscopists understand these characteristics. It can be cured through endoscopic treatment without surgery. This is organ preservation. So early detection and treatment should be the goal,” he added.
The study recommends implementation of an endoscopic screening program for early gastric cancer in the country. The Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Hyderabad and Apollo Gleneagles Hospital in Kolkata were also involved in the study, which was recently published in the peer-reviewed medical journal DEN Open.
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