Background: Dyspepsia is defined as persistent or recurrent pain and /or discomfort which is centered in the upper abdomen, May or may not be related to meals may be associated with other symptoms1. In the early stages, gastric cancer symptoms are covert and do not differ from those found in dyspepsia. Early detection and treatment will improve favorable outcome. The role of lifestyle and dietary factors are being investigated and have proved to be pivotal in causing gastric cancer.

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of gastroscopy in peptic dyspepsia for early detection of carcinoma of stomach and its impact on increasing the proportion of early and operable gastric cancers and role of dietary factors, alcohol & smoking as its etiological factors.

Methodology: During the study period Sep 2014 to Sep 2016, a total of 468 patients with dyspepsia who fit into the inclusion and exclusion criterion underwent upper GI endoscopy.

Results: Among the 468 patients with dyspepsia 20 patients were diagnosed with gastric malignancy with an incidence of 4.2%. Maximum incidence of patients with malignancy was seen in the age group of 50 – 70 years with a Male: Female ratio of 3:3.6. Salt intake of more than 10 gm/day, fruits and vegetable intake of less than 200 gm/day and consumption of tobacco were found to be risk factors for gastric malignancy. No association was found between alcohol consumption and gastric cancer. 8 patients underwent curative resection, 7 underwent palliative procedures and 6 patients were administered chemotherapy. The percentage of operable gastric cancer following upper GI endoscopy in our study was 40.9%.

Conclusion: We conclude that upper GI endoscopy has a specific role in patients with peptic dyspepsia, for early detection of carcinoma of the stomach and thatthe role of dietary factors is imperative in the prevention of this deadly disease.