Gastric carcinoma with synchronous liver metastases: palliative gastrectomy or not?

During a 6 year period, 38 patients with gastric cancer presented with synchronous liver metastases and 25 underwent gastric resection. Forty per cent of the operated patients presented with complications, whereas most of the non-operated patients presented with pain or an abdominal mass. Eight patients (32%) developed postoperative morbidity, five of whom died (20%). The median duration of hospital stay for those surviving surgery was 33 days. In the non-operated group 61% died while in hospital and the median duration of hospital stay was 28 days. The respective median survival time and duration of home stay were 13 and 9 weeks for the operated patients and 6 and 3 weeks for the non-operated patients. The difference of the duration of home stay between the two groups of patients was statistically insignificant. There was also no significant relief of pain after surgery. Univariate analyses of the influence on survival time of operation among 13 other factors showed that only bilirubin was significant. We conclude that gastrectomy neither prolongs life nor improves the quality of survival in patients with gastric cancer and discontiguous liver metastases. However, gastrectomy may be beneficial in selected patients presenting with potentially lethal complications such as bleeding and obstruction.