Gastric cancer. Factors influencing longterm survival and postoperative mortality

141 patients with gastric carcinoma diagnosed between 1972-1982 have been analyzed with regard to factors influencing hospital mortality and long-term survival. The over-all 5-year survival rate was 7%. Radical surgery was performed in 30% of the cases, and in these patients the 5-year survival rate was 25%. Stage I had a 5-year survival rate of 75%, but only 6% of patients belonged to this group. Patients with a tumor size of less than 5 cm hade a 5-year survival rate of 21%, but 38% of the patients had a tumor size of greater than 10 cm and none of these lived for more than 4 years. Not any patients with the tumor localized to the cardia or the fundus survived more than 2 years. The type of operation in the patients resected for cure did not seem to influence the long-term survival. The total postoperative mortality rate after curative surgery was 28%. We could not find any factors with statistically significant influence on the postoperative mortality. A main reason for the generally poor results is the advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis.