Gastric cancer in southern Saudi Arabia.

A total of 84 cases of primary gastric cancer were diagnosed in the histopathology laboratory of Asir Central Hospital over a five year period (1987 to 1991). Seventy-two patients (86%) were Saudis and 12 cases (14%) were non-Saudis. The mean age of the patients included in this study was 60 years with a range of 22 to 85 years and a male:female ratio of 4.6:1. Intestinal adenocarcinoma occurred in 63 patients (75%) followed by malignant lymphomas in 12 cases (14%) and diffuse adenocarcinoma in nine cases (11%). The gastric antrum was the most common site affected (47%), followed by gastric corpus (27%), cardia (14%), and fundus (12%). Comparisons of our findings to similar reports from other provinces of Saudi Arabia and other countries are discussed.