Clinicopathological profile of gastric cancer in a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India: A prospective 2 year study

Context/Background : Gastric malignancy is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Majority of gastric cancers present in late stages, so early detection is of paramount importance. Aim/Objective: To assess clinicopathological parameters of gastric carcinoma and to study expression of mucin by simple histochemical methods. Materials and Methods: Present prospective study were carried out over 2 years on surgically resected or endoscopically confirmed 116 cases of gastric carcinoma (>5 and <90-year-old) and their clinical profile, relevant investigation, and gross and microscopic features were studied. Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and alcian blue (AB) staining were done along with hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) to study nature of mucin. Results: Mean age of study population were 53.02 years with overall male predominance (male:female (M:F) =2.41:1). Majority presented with vague dyspepsia, blood group A was most prevalent. Endoscopy revealed fungating growth in 41.37%, rapid urease test (RUT) was negative in most of patients. Majority of masses were located in antrum, mean diameter of masses being 3.56 cm. Poorly differentiated carcinoma were most prevalent histological type closely followed by equal percentage of diffuse and intestinal adenocarcinomas. Most carcinomas belonged to stage II or higher in TNM staging. Mucin stain reveals weak or absent PAS stain in diffuse and AB stain in most intestinal adenocarcinoms. Conclusion: Gastric carcinoma mainly affects elderly males. Poorly differentiated cases are on the rise. Simple mucin stains like PAS and AB can prove valuable adjunct to routine histological diagnosis, especially in cases with suspicious margin involvement, lymph node metastasis, and true depth of invasion assessment.