TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk of Gastrointestinal Cancer in Patients with Unexplained Chest/Epigastric Pain and Normal Upper Endoscopy: A Danish 10-year Follow-up Study
AU - Munk, Estrid Muff
AU - Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr
AU - Gorst-Rasmussen, Anders
AU - Funch-Jensen, Peter
AU - Gregersen, Hans
AU - Nørgård, Bente
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Unexplained chest/epigastric pain is a common symptom in the general population. However, it has not previously been studied whether such pain could be a marker of subsequent gastrointestinal cancer. We aimed to estimate the risk of gastrointestinal cancers in a Danish 10-year follow-up study among patients with chest/epigastric pain, normal upper endoscopy, and no prior discharge diagnosis of ischemic heart disease (N = 386), compared with population controls (N = 3860). The overall 10-year risk of gastrointestinal cancer (stomach, colorectal, liver, and pancreas) was 2.9% for patients with unexplained chest/epigastric pain vs. 1.5% for controls. The adjusted relative risks <1 year and ≥1 year after upper endoscopy were 8.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-27.5) and 1.2 (95% CI, 0.5-2.9), respectively. We found that patients with unexplained chest/epigastric pain have an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer within the first year after upper endoscopy. Consequently, unexplained chest/epigastric pain might be an early gastrointestinal cancer symptom.
AB - Unexplained chest/epigastric pain is a common symptom in the general population. However, it has not previously been studied whether such pain could be a marker of subsequent gastrointestinal cancer. We aimed to estimate the risk of gastrointestinal cancers in a Danish 10-year follow-up study among patients with chest/epigastric pain, normal upper endoscopy, and no prior discharge diagnosis of ischemic heart disease (N = 386), compared with population controls (N = 3860). The overall 10-year risk of gastrointestinal cancer (stomach, colorectal, liver, and pancreas) was 2.9% for patients with unexplained chest/epigastric pain vs. 1.5% for controls. The adjusted relative risks <1 year and ≥1 year after upper endoscopy were 8.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-27.5) and 1.2 (95% CI, 0.5-2.9), respectively. We found that patients with unexplained chest/epigastric pain have an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer within the first year after upper endoscopy. Consequently, unexplained chest/epigastric pain might be an early gastrointestinal cancer symptom.
U2 - 10.1007/s10620-007-9812-6
DO - 10.1007/s10620-007-9812-6
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0163-2116
VL - 52
SP - 1730
EP - 1737
JO - Digestive Diseases and Sciences
JF - Digestive Diseases and Sciences
IS - 7
ER -