[Differential diagnosis of gastric ulcer and gastric cancer in elderly patients].

ABSTRACT

Along with the growing elderly population, patients with gastric ulcers caused by low-dose aspirin have increased. Gastric cancer is also common among the elderly population, but is sometimes difficult to distinguish from gastric ulcers, especially those stemming from aspirin use. To differentiate the diagnostic symptoms of gastric ulcers and gastric cancers in elderly patients, we compared the endoscopic findings of 198 subjects (92 benign ulcers and 106 cancers) aged 65 years and older. Despite their benign nature, aspirin-induced ulcers tended to have more irregularity of the ulcer edge and heterogeneous formation of regenerating epithelium than ulcer unrelated to aspirin. Asking about the use of low-dose aspirin is therefore important when confronted with such lesions in elderly patients.