Gastric Adenocarcinoma at the Joliot Curie Institute in Dakar: Epidemiological, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Aspects about 54 Cases

Objectives: To study the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic aspects of gastric adenocarcinoma at the Joliot Curie Institute in Dakar. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study over a seven-year period from January 2010 to December 2017 at the Joliot Curie Institute in Dakar. All cases of gastric adenocarcinoma proven by fibroscopy followed by histology or proven on the histological analysis of a surgical specimen were taken into account. The parameters studied were age, risk factors, stages of the disease, treatment and prognosis. Results: There were 54 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma over a period of 7 years. The average age was 54.74 years with extremes of 25 and 84 years. A male predominance was noted (35/54). The main risk factors found were alcohol (5/54), tobacco (13/54), Helicobacter pilori (4/54), gastric ulcer (12/54). Epigastralgia was the most frequent clinical manifestation. FOGD was carried out in 77.8% of patients. Histology was obtained before surgery in 40 patients (74.1% of cases) and on the operating room in 14 patients (25.9%). Patients were classified as stage II in 2/54 cases, stage III in 5/54 cases and stage IV in 47/54 cases. Gastro-entero-anastomosis was the main surgical procedure performed. External radiotherapy was performed in 1/54 patients. Chemotherapy was done in 52/54 patients, 96.3% of the cases. It was palliative in 66.7% of cases, neoadjuvant in 1.9% of cases, adjuvant in 24.1% of cases, perioperative in 3.7% of cases. Mortality was 79.6%. Patient survival times were relatively short: in less than 6 months 24/54 cases, 13/54 cases between 6 - 12 months, 5/54 cases between 13 - 24 months and 6/54 cases beyond 24 months. 6/54 patients were lost from view. Conclusion: Gastric adenocarcinoma is diagnosed lately in our conditions. It is responsible for a high mortality rate. Palliative treatment is often the only option because of the delay in diagnosis.