Related Experiment Videos
[Palliative interventions]
R Kirchner1, H Stützer, E H Farthmann
1Chirurgische Universitätsklinik, Freiburg.
Abstract:
The German Gastric Cancer TNM Study included 1335 patients, of whom 657 (49.2%) underwent palliative surgery. The rate of resection was 50.6%. Postoperative complications occurred twice as often after palliative resectional surgery than after non-resectional procedures. In contrast, operative mortality rates did not differ. The median time of survival was 3 months after non-resectional procedures and 11 months after palliative resections. A considerable restriction of the quality of life occurred 2-3 months before death in both patient groups. Therefore, patients with non-resectional surgery hardly profit from the operation.