Malignant Diseases of the Stomach in Ibadan, Nigeria: A 19-year appraisal

Background: Malignant lesions of the stomach have a wide geographical variation in prevalence. This study was aimed at determining the pattern of gastric malignancies in Nigeria, a developing country like and compares this to what obtains in the developed countries.
Methods: a retrospective study utilizing case-files, histopathology reports and cancer registry data of patients who have been operated on for a pre-operative diagnosis of carcinoma of the stomach in the University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria from 1990 to 2008; a period of 19 years.
Results: There were 286 patients with a male to female ratio of 1.4: 1. The age range was 24 to 99 years with an average age of 55.35 years. The yearly average was approximately 15 patients annually. There were 18% of the total who were 40 years and below. Majority of the cases were adenocarcinoma (89%) with a few other cases of Carcinoid tumour, Squamous cell carcinoma, Leiomyosarcoma, lymphomas and Gastrointestinal Stromal tumour (GIST).
Conclusions: Incidence rates of malignant disease of the stomach in Nigeria affect the 50-70 years age-group, have a slight male predominance and do not seem to be increasing or decreasing. There seems to be no role at present for Helicobacter pylori in the aetiology of gastric carcinoma in Nigeria.