Factors related to survival following resection for gastric carcinoma: analysis of 903 cases

This report is based on 903 patients with resections for gastric carcinoma between October 1957, and July 1969, entered in controlled trials of adjuvant therapy with Thio-TEPA and FUDR. Neither Thio-TEPA nor FUDR, as administered, prolonged survival. The extent of disease at the time of curative surgery is related to survival for the first 36 months postoperatively. Involvement of lymph nodes, resection of the esophagus, and serosal penetration are predictive of recurrence up to 36 months. There appear to be three groups of patients: 1) Cured (26%); 2) Slowly growing tumor--23% (median survival, 25 months); and 3) Rapidly growing tumor--51% (median survival, eight months). The absence of blood-vessel invasion, lymphatic invasion, lymph-node involvement, and serosal penetration characterize those patients in Group A.