[Prognostic factors for survival in patients with resectable advanced gastric adenocarcinoma]

Patients under 45 years with gastric cancer are associated with a poor prognosis. Recent studies report that the 5-year survival is better in younger patients after curative resection.

To determine if prognostic factors such as age under 45 years old, anaemia, weight loss, tumour differentiation, histological sub-type, depth of invasion, and lymph node involvement, reduce the survival of patients with resectable advanced gastric adenocarcinoma undergoing gastrectomy with limited and extended lymphadenectomy.

This study included a cohort of consecutive cases treated in the Sarcomas Department of the Oncology Hospital of the Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, during the period between January 2000 and December 2006.

Of the total of 588 patients evaluated, 112 (19%) were under 45 years, 43% classified as Borrmann IV, and 36% as Borrmann III. Metastatic disease was present in 39.3%, localised diffuse in 12.5%; lower resectability 52.7 vs. 61.3% in older than 45 years. At the end of the study 29.5% of patients under 45 years were alive; no recurrence in 26.8%, with an overall survival of 58.6±4.3 months, compared with 18.3% of patients alive over 45 years, 17.9% disease-free, and with overall survival 35.2±4.3 months resectable disease.

Patients under 45 years have a better survival after a two-year disease-free period.