To characterize the frequency, clinical and endoscopic features, and hospital outcomes of post-endoscopy gastric cancer (PEGC) in a multicenter cohort in Colombia.
Approach:
PEGC Definition: PEGC defined as cancer diagnosed between 6 and 36 months after a negative endoscopy.
Key Findings:
71 out of 599 patients met criteria for PEGC, corresponding to a frequency of 11.9% (95% CI: 9.5–14.7).
Helicobacter pylori positivity was 67.1% overall and 70.4% among PEGC cases.
PEGC was associated with higher rates of palliative management (23.9% vs 2.8%; OR 10.77; 95% CI: 5.09–22.77; p<0.001).
In-hospital mortality was higher in PEGC cases (16.9% vs 7.0%; OR 2.70; 95% CI: 1.33–5.46; p=0.004).
Interpretation:
PEGC was frequent in this Colombian cohort and associated with adverse hospital outcomes, indicating missed diagnostic opportunities and the need to strengthen endoscopic quality standards.
Limitations:
The study is retrospective and may be subject to biases inherent in such designs.
Limited generalizability due to the study being conducted in a specific geographic region.
Conclusion:
The findings support the incorporation of PEGC rate as a quality indicator for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in high-incidence regions.
