How Often Are Gastric Cancers Missed by Endoscopy?

The miss rate for endoscopy for gastric cancer in Western countries is poorly understood. Investigators in the U.K. performed a retrospective, observational cohort study using information from three pooled national databases to identify patients who received a diagnosis of gastric cancer during a 1-year period and determine if endoscopy had been performed within the prior 3 to 36 months.

Of 2727 patients identified with newly diagnosed gastric cancers, 8.3% had undergone endoscopy in the 3 to 36 months prior to diagnosis. Patients who had undergone endoscopy were significantly more likely to be women, have a low-stage tumor (TNM 0 or 1), and be younger than 55 years. Gastric ulcers were found during the prior endoscopy in 15% of all cases bu…