Survival period of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer in western Honduras, period 2002-2012

Abstract

The present research describes the 5 year survival period for patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who live in the western part of Honduras. It determines the factors affecting survival rate, the percentage of non treated patients, reasons why they were not treated, and the survival period according to the type of treatment received. This study also indicates if whether or not poverty indicators have an influence on patient survival.

Two instruments were developed to conduct the research: 1) verbal autopsy, which allowed the evolution of the disease from diagnosis to the time of death and 2) the instrument of poverty indicators, reflecting the direct influence of the quality of life in the progression of the disease.

This probabilistic study analized 154 cases in a universe of 490 patients. The results show that only 14.29% of the patients have a 5 year survival period after gastric cancer diagnosis, which is lower than the 20% proposed in the hypothesis. 22 cases represented this 5 year survival period: 15 cases were male patients (9.74%) and 7 cases were female patients (equivalent to 4.55%).

Due to genetic and environmental factors in the western part of Honduras, its population is highly susceptible to suffer from this disease. In addition, the general population has no idea of health care prevention and there is no state health department control whatsover to regulate and record all types of cancer cases, much less its pathology.