Abstract

Gastric neoplasm is one of the most common digestive tract cancers, entailing a high mortality rate. Gastric adenocarcinoma represents over 95% of gastric malignant tumours, therefore the generic term gastric cancer mostly refers to adenocarcinoma. The gold standard in the diagnosis of gastric neoplasm and its complications is upper GI endoscopy associated with biopsy and histological testing, both for the screening and the individual diagnosis. Patients come to the doctor relatively late (mainly due to non-specific and non- systematic symptomatology); in Romania most cases are diagnosed at stages III or IV. The natural evolution of the disease varies according to the histological type, shape and location at the time of diagnosis, as well as the frequency, onset and especially severity of complications. The complications of gastric cancer are of paramount importance in the evolution, as they are often the direct cause of the patient’s death. The prognosis of the disease is closely correlated with the tumoral stage at the time of diagnosis, and surgical treatment still remains the only method to improve survival rate, especially in the early stages.

Keywords

gastric neoplasm, adenocarcinoma, upper gastrointestinal endo- scopy, complications, prognosis