The frequency of upper gastrointestinal malignancy in Gizan.
BACKGROUND
Upper gastrointestinal malignancy occurs in variable frequencies among different populations and there is an increasing epidemiological data in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency of upper gastrointestinal malignancy in an endoscopic population in Gizan.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 63 patients who had esophageal or gastric malignancy among 2572 patients evaluated in a 6-year period ( July 1992 to June 1998) at King Fahad Central Hospital in Gizan.


RESULTS
Esophageal cancer was found in 39 patients (20 males and 19 females), whereas gastric malignancy in 24 (22 males and two females). The majority of the patients were in their seventh and eighth decade of life with male predominance. Seven patients had primary gastric lymphoma and one patient had primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus.


CONCLUSIONS
Upper gastrointestinal malignancy represented 2.4% of 2572 endoscoped patients, occurring more commonly among elderly male.
Gadour
Mohammed Osman
MO
Department of Medicine, King Fahad Central Hospital, Gizan, Saudi Arabia. mgadour@hotmail.co
Ayoola
Ephraim Ayobanji
EA