IntroductionGastric mucormycosis is a highly lethal condition with nonspecific signs that have become increasingly underrecognized in the last decade. The current study aims to systematically review gastric mucormycosis, highlighting its presenting symptoms, risk factors, various management approaches, and their outcomes.
MethodsScopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were systematically searched for papers on gastric mucormycosis published up to June 1, 2024. The current study included papers documenting cases of gastric mucormycosis across all ages and genders, detailing diagnostic modalities and management approaches.
ResultsA total of 106 studies were selected, including 115 patients, of whom 80 (69.4%) were male. The average age of the patients was 47.91 ± 17.01 years. The main presenting symptom was abdominal pain in 58 (50.4%) patients, followed by vomiting, fever, and melaena in 28 (24.3%), 25 (21.7%), and 18 (15.6%) patients, respectively. No identifiable risk factor was present in 33 (28.7%) patients. However, a history of organ transplantation, diabetes mellitus, or hematologic malignancy was reported in 26 (22.6%), 25 (21.7%), and 10 (8.7%) patients, respectively. The conservative management approach exhibited the highest survival rate among the various strategies, with 39 (66.1%) patients surviving, which was statistically significant (P-value <0.001).
ConclusionConservative management demonstrates higher survival rates than combined surgical and conservative approaches. However, this finding could be attributed to a more extensive disease in those requiring surgery. Therefore, an individualized assessment of each patient should be made on a case-by-case basis.
Keywords Gastric
· Stomach
· Gastrointestinal
· Mucormycosis
· Fungal
· Management
All subjects
