[Linitis plastica of the stomach. Factors influencing prognosis]

The authors make a retrospective study of a series of 57 patients aged 63 years in average, followed up from 1979 to 1989 for linitis plastica of the stomach. Surgical exeresis was performed in 49 patients (34 total gastrectomies and 15 partial gastrectomies, including five 2/3 gastrectomies, two 3/4 gastrectomies, four 4/5 gastrectomies and four upper polar esogastrectomies). The overall actuarial survival rate (n = 57) was 62.5% at 1 year, 40% at 2 years and 12.5% at 5 years. The prognosis did not vary with the delay of diagnosis, the invasion of the area of resection, the associated tissue differentiation and the invasion of lymph nodes. It did very according to the height of the tumor: 22% survival at 5 years for tumors under 6 cm, against 0% for tumors exceeding 6 cm (p < 0.001).