MULTIFOCAL OCCURRENCE OF GASTRIC-CARCINOMA IN PATIENTS WITH A FAMILY HISTORY OF GASTRIC-CARCINOMA

BACKGROUND. Smoking and alcoholic beverage drinking habits as well as a family history of cancer are well known risk factors for the multifo cal occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and the hea d and neck region. However, the role of these risk factors in multiple gastric carcinoma remains to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors for multiple gastric carcinoma. METHOD S, The smoking and drinking habits as well as the family history of 15 7 patients with synchronous multiple gastric carcinoma and 157 patient s with solitary gastric carcinoma who were similar with regard to gend er, age, stage of the tumor, and year of admission were investigated. The risk of a multiple occurrence of gastric carcinoma also was elevat ed using the odds ratio (OR). RESULTS. The ORs of a multifocal occurre nce of gastric carcinoma in patients who currently smoked and drank al coholic beverages were 1.1 and 0.8, respectively, although the ORs wer e not related to the quantity of smoking or drinking. In patients with a close relative with gastric carcinoma the OR was 2.1 (95% confidenc e interval [CI], 1.3-3.7). In those patients with greater than or equa l to 2 close relatives with gastric carcinoma, the OR increased to 5.1 (95% CI, 1.2-21.1). Conversely, no significant elevation in the ORs w as recognized regarding a family history of other cancers. CONCLUSIONS . In this study, a family history of gastric carcinoma was found to be clearly associated with the multifocal occurrence of gastric carcinom a; however, no significant correlation between the multifocal occurren ce of gastric carcinoma in these patients and their smoking and drinki ng habits was recognized. Cancer 1998; 83:1307-11. (C) 1998 American C ancer Society.