[Gastric cancer and routine upper digestive endoscopy]

In this paper we analyzed 5,401 upper G.I. endoscopies performed in a period of 5 years (1985-89), in the Gastroenterology Service at Hospital Jesús Yerena, in Caracas, Venezuela. We found 53 cases of stomach cancer, only 2 of them were early gastric cancer. We studied personal and epidemiological data, symptoms, place of the lesion, treatment, surgical mortality, macroscopic morphology and histopathology. We discuss the results concluding that: cancer of the stomach is a prevalent disease in our Hospital; that fibrogastroscopy is a very good diagnostic procedure; that we must organize a Program of Early Detection for this disease and that we should improve the Oncological Register.