Gastric cancer: biology and clinical manifestations in Israel.

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) in Israel remains incompletely characterized. The aim of this study was to define the clinical and pathological characteristics of GC in Israel and to compare them to the general Western population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective analysis of 461 consecutive GC patients treated at a single institution between 1995 and 2007. Epidemiological and clinical-pathological data were retrieved from the patients' medical files and the institutional electronic database and analyzed using standard statistical methods.

RESULTS

Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, histopathological findings, clinical course, and prognostic factors for disease outcome were all similar to those reported in the Western literature. Findings unique to the Israeli population included: (1) rarity of GC-associated risk factors; (2) increased GC incidence in Ashkenazi Jews; (3) high incidence of second primary malignancy and family history of cancer; and (4) no dominancy of proximal GCs.

CONCLUSION

There do not appear to be any major differences in the biology or clinical manifestations of GC in Israel. Western recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of GC may therefore be applied to the Israeli patient population.