Prognostic significance of the Borrmann classification in stage 2-3 gastric cancer

To assess the prognostic significance of Borrmann classification subtypes in patients with stage 2-3 gastric cancer who underwent surgical treatment.

A retrospective review of 96 gastric cancer patients treated at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Medical Faculty Hospital from 2008 to 2024 was conducted. Patients were included if they were aged >18 year (yr), had undergone surgery without neoadjuvant therapy, had no distant metastases, and had a postoperative pathological stage of 2-3. Demographic and clinicopathological data were documented, and median overall survival (OS) was analyzed according to the Borrmann classification.

The median age of the 96 patients was 66 yr, and 36.4% were female. Total gastrectomy was performed in 45.8% of cases. According to the Borrmann classification, type 2 tumors (49%) were the most common. The tumor was most frequently located in the antrum and pylorus (45.8%), and adenocarcinoma was the predominant histopathological type (77.1%). Recurrence was observed in 63.5% of cases. The median OS was 54.66 months, with survival rates of 74.8% at 2 yr and 48.7% at 5 yr. Among Borrmann subtypes, type 1 tumors had the highest median OS (110.1 months) (p=0.787).

Although patients with Borrmann type 1 tumors had the highest OS rate, no significant prognostic differences were observed across the four Borrmann subtypes.