[Surgical treatment of stomach cancer: analysis of our personal experience]

The "curative" treatment of gastric carcinoma includes the complete removal of the tumour and of the nodes involved without any macroscopic residual of disease (RO). Out of 326 patients with gastric cancer observed, a series of 114 consecutive patients underwent surgical resection (total gastrectomy or subtotal distal gastrectomy) with D2 or D3 lymphadenectomy. Overall operative mortality was 5.3%. Since 1988 no postoperative death occurred. Overall morbidity was 15.8%, specific morbidity 10.5%, reduced after 1988 to 6.6%. No significant differences in operative mortality and need of blood transfusions were recorded between D2 and D3 lymphadenectomy. Overall 5-year survival was 32%. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that only T and N stages are significant prognostic factors, whereas tumour location, total or subtotal gastrectomy in antral cancers, extent of lymphadenectomy (D2 vs D3) and histology were not significantly related to survival. Since most studies have clearly shown that T and N stages are the most important prognostic factors in gastric cancer, the present aim should be to plan the extent of surgical resection according to the T and N stages characteristics of the neoplasm.