[Surgical treatment of advanced cancer of the stomach]

Experience in surgical treatment of gastric cancer with distant metastases was analyzed. Distant metastases were located most often in the peritoneum (19 patients), distant lymph nodes (16), liver (10) and ovaries (5). Surgery was performed as gastrectomy (27 patients), subtotal resection of the stomach (25) and extirpation of the gastric stump (4); metastatic tumors were removed in half of the patients. During the last years number of extended gastrectomies increased, but rate of postoperative complications and lethality decreased to 11 and 3.5% respectively. Median of survival was 9.0 months. Cumulative survival was 80% in 6 ms, 39% in 12 ms, 11% in 24 ms. The highest median of survival was in metastatic affection of the lymph nodes (13.7 months), the lowest -- in canceromatosis of the peritoneum (7.1 months). It is concluded that main goal of surgeries is fight with fatal complications of tumors. But today, extended surgeries can be performed in uncomplicated forms of gastric cancer to improve quality of patients' life and to carry out drug therapy more successfully.