Knowledge about Gastric Carcinoma in North of Iran, A High Prevalent Region for Gastric Carcinoma: A Population-Based Telephone Survey

Abstract

Background & Objectives: The most northern and northwestern regions of Iran are at a high risk for gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the general population's awareness about risk factors, symptoms and signs, preventive methods and management of gastric carcinoma in a high prevalence city in the North of Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based telephone survey which was conducted on 3,457 residents of Rasht, the capital city of Guilan Province, to assess their awareness regarding gastric carcinoma. The questionnaires contained demographic data and statements on respondents' knowledge about risk factors, symptoms and signs, prevention and management of gastric cancer which were filled by general practitioners after asking the subjects. Data were analyzed in SPSS14. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean knowledge score of the respondents was 5.05±1.37 regarding risk factors of gastric carcinoma, 4.39±1.99 regarding symptoms and signs, 6.0±1.22 regarding preventive strategies, and 1.6±1.16 regarding management. Totally the mean knowledge level of the respondents toward gastric carcinoma would be 17.1±3.97 from the maximum grade of 29. The age group of 45-55 y/o, bachelor degree and higher, physicians and nurses, those who had cancer history in friends or had the history of gastrointestinal diseases showed significantly higher knowledge scores (P=0.001). Conclusion: There is a general lack of awareness of cancer risk factors, symptoms and signs, methods of prevention, and importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Educational programs should be developed to promote adherence to recommended screening guidelines.

Awareness of risk factors and warning symptoms and attitude towards gastric cancer screening among the general public in China: a cross-sectional study

“…In this study, the knowledge level was relatively lower than those reported in the Korean and Iranian populations,15 16 signifying poor awareness among the Chinese population regarding gastric cancer. Moreover, while participants had relatively good knowledge of lifestyle risk factors, they had a poorer knowledge of disease risk factors.…”

“…Another reason could be the high media exposure of H. pylori infection: due to the high prevalence of H. pylori infection, several advertisements about H. pylori infection are broadcast in Korea 31. In our study, more than 50% of participants did not identify any warning symptoms of gastric cancer, and this rate was higher than that among Iranians 15. This result shows that poor awareness of warning symptoms is a factor contributing to the high rate of advanced-stage diagnosis of gastric cancer in Chinese patients, and indicates that these warning symptoms could be a good target for awareness-raising initiatives 7…”

“…A recent study showed that knowledge about warning symptoms can lead to earlier presentation to medical care, which could result in earlier diagnosis and better outcomes 14. Studies investigating public knowledge of risk factors or warning symptoms of gastric cancer in Korea and Iran reported a general lack of knowledge 15 16…”

Serum Gastrin and the Pepsinogen I/II Ratio as Markers for Diagnosis of Premalignant Gastric Lesions

“…Iran is a region with a high incidence of stomach cancer especially in Northern parts (Sadjadi et al, 2005;Mansour-Ghanaei et al, 2012). A strong spatial clustering of gastric cancer in both men and women has been described in Mazandaran and Golestan; two provinces of the Caspian Sea shore line (Malekzadeh et al, 2009).…”

Analysis of Polymorphism and Expression Profile of ASIC1 and IL-6 Genes in Patients with Gastric Cancer

“…Despite a steady decline of its incidence in developed countries, in less developed countries such as those of the Middle and Eastern Asia, South America and Eastern Europe gastric cancer is an important burden on public health (Lee et al, 2013). Most of the northern and northwestern regions of Iran such as Ardabil, Semnan, Golestan, East Azerbaijan, and Tehran are at a high risk of gastric cancer, but the southern provinces show a lower level of incidence (Malekzadeh et al, 2009;Mansour-Ghanaei et al, 2012). It is a multi-factorial disease and develops because of a continuous cell damage caused by life-long exposure to different carcinogens.…”