ESOPHAGEAL AND GASTRIC-CARCINOMA IN THE REPUBLIC-OF-YEMEN

We conducted a preliminary survey on 3064 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at the Al-Thawra Hospital in Sana'a, Repub lic of Yemen, between January and December 1991. The age/sex distribut ion, demographic features and social habits with respect to cigarette and water-pipe smoking and Qat chewing were compared for patients with oesophageal and gastric cancers (n = 183). A preponderance of women w ith carcinoma of the mid-oesophagus was noted, previously only recorde d in areas of high prevalence. Unlike Western populations, smoking and alcohol consumption were not significant risk factors. A high frequen cy of Qat chewing and water-pipe smoking was found for both men and wo men and for a group with tumours of the gastro-oesophageal junction or cardia (chi(2) = 2.646, P>0.05). Numbers were insufficient to identif y independent effects of each factor individually. Dietary habits alon e were insufficient to account for the excess of affected females. A c ase-control study is now underway to investigate further the role of d ietary factors, social habits, demographic features and Helicobacter p ylori infection on the development of upper gastrointestinal cancer in the Yemen.