Abstract
Objective
To identify first-degree relative history of gastric cancer in patients with dyspeptic symptoms receiving care at a public endoscopy service.
Methods
A cross-sectional study, performed with dyspeptic patients referred for an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The association between the family history of gastric cancer and the findings of the endoscopic examination was verified using the Chi-square or Fisher tests, and its effect was shown using odds ratio and confidence interval in univariate and multivariate analyses. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data.
Results
Among the 751 dyspeptic patients enrolled, 44 (5.9%) had a family history of gastric cancer, mostly females (70.5%) aged 45 years or older (56.8%). Patients with a family history of gastric cancer were more likely to have no endoscopic diagnosis of peptic ulcer (p=0.05; OR=2.33; CI=0.99-5.48). In addition, higher chances of gastric mucosal changes (p=0.05; RC=1.06; CI=1.04-1.08) and Helicobacter pylori infection (p=0.04; RC=1.79; CI=0.94-3.39) were found, even after adjusting the analyses.
Conclusion
The endoscopic gastric mucosal changes and Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with dyspeptic symptoms showed an independent association with family history of gastric cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to develop health care protocols for better investigation and surveillance of gastric cancer relatives, as well as health education actions to guide patients regarding screening and prevention of gastric cancer.
Dyspepsia; Endoscopy; Gastrointestinal neoplasms; Stomach diseases