Clinicopathological evaluation of T2-gastric cancer among age groups.
OBJECTIVE
Although the recent results of surgical treatments for T2-gastric cancer (defined as: tumor invasion of the muscularis propria or the subserosa) have been comparatively favorable, frequency of lymph node metastasis is high and recurrence often happens.


METHODS
A retrospective study on T2-gastric cancer in 347 patients who underwent curative resection between 1975 and 1995 was performed to address this issue. These 347 patients were divided into 3 groups according to age: group I (72 cases) < 50 years old; group II (202 cases) not < 50 years but < 70 years old; and group III (73 cases) > or = 70 years old.


RESULTS
There was an apparent tendency that gastric cancer in aged patients is more likely to become differentiated cancer and spread easily to the liver.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that aged patients should be more carefully followed for any hematogenous metastases including liver metastases. Removal of hepatic metastases or regional hepatic infusion chemotherapy may then salvage some patients even elderly patients.
Okuno
K
K
First Department of Surgery, Kinki University School of Medicine. okuno@surg1.med.kindai.ac.jp
Shigeoka
H
H
Tanaka
A
A
Hirai
N
N
Matsumura
E
E
Yasutomi
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016019:Survival Analysis