Abstract

GOMEZ, Martín Alonso; RICAURTE, Orlando  and  GUTIERREZ, Oscar. Cost efficiency of the upper digestive endoscopy (UDE) as a diagnostic test in a campaign for gastric cancer detection. Rev Col Gastroenterol [online]. 2009, vol.24, n.1, pp.34-50. ISSN 0120-9957.

Objective. To determine if the upper digestive endoscopy (UDE) alone or with biopsies is a cost-effective method for the early detection of gastric cancer and pre-malignant lesions of the stomach. Methods. Prospective, descriptive transversal study. Patients: people from a bank entity. Intervention: formulary, UDE, biopsies. Measurements: epidemiologic data, histologic and endoscopic characteristics of the patients. Results. 478 voluntaries (mean: 37.8 años), 51% women (243), 52% asintomathic, 83% with H.pylori. Main endoscopic findings: chronic antral gastritis (60%), hiatal hernia (19%), bulboduodenitis (11%). Biopsies of 230 patients were performed: pangastritis (42%), chronic corpoanthral gastritis (36.5%), antral atrophy (9.6%). The conditions, premalignant and malignant lesions founded were 63: 40 patients (18.3%) with chornic atrophic gastritis, 5 with Barrett’s esophagus (2.2%), one patient with adenocharcinoma; and 3 patients with Hodgkin B lymphoma of the marginal zone. There is 22 times more possibility of detecting a malignant or premalignant lesion by performing an UDE with biopsy than by using just the UDE (p= <0.0001), since most of the lesions cannot be seen by the endoscopy. Conclusions. In Colombia, prevention campaigns for gastric cancer can be performed. The UDE should always be done with biopsies since it’s a cost-effective method for the early detection of gastric cancer and premalignant lesions.

Keywords : Campaign; gastric cancer; endoscopy; dysplasia; atrophy; biopsy.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )