title: Long-term results after surgery for gastric cancer with or without jejunal reservoir: results of surgery for gastric cancer in Kanta-Häme central hospital in two consecutive periods without or with jejunal pouch reconstruction in 1985-1998.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastric cancer still has a disease-specific 5-yr survival less than 30% and an overall survival of about 15%. The quality of life of patients who undergo gastrectomy is poor owing both to the severity of the disease itself and to the mutilation of the upper gastrointestinal channel after the reconstruction. Therefore, the combination of a jejunal pouch with gastrectomy has been claimed to improve the life quality and nutritional status of these patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the clinical results after surgery for gastric cancer in two consecutive periods with or without jejunal-pouch reconstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  271 consecutive patients referred for surgery for gastric cancer in 1985-1991 (116 patients) and in 1992-1998 (155 patients) in Kanta-Häme central hospital were retrospectively analyzed regarding their disease, mode of surgery, and the immediate and long-term results. In the former observation period gastrectomy was performed with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy without a reservoir, and in the latter period this procedure was combined with a jejunal reservoir. The data were collected from patient journals and from the death certificate obtained from the National Centre of Statistics in Finland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period the incidence of cancer in the cardia increased among the surgical patients from 13.1 to 26.7% (p <0.05). Despite this proximal migration, the cancer-specific 5-yr survival remained practically unchanged during the two study periods, 29.4% and 32.2% (NS). During the period of jejunal-pouch reconstruction there were non-significant increases of the incidences of local recurrence (from 18.9% to 26.5%), of immediate postoperative anastomotic fistulae (from 0.9% to 4.5%) as well as of the immediate mortality (from 2.6% to 3.7%) (NS for each).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite proximal migration of gastric cancer and the application of a jejunal reservoir, the long-term as well as the immediate results after curative surgery (i.e., D2-gastrectomy) for gastric cancer have remained relatively unchanged. The jejunal-pouch reconstruction with the present technique after gastrectomy can therefore be safely applied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Narvik Hospital, Norway. hannu.paimela@hhf.no
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Paimela
authors.forename: Saara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ketola
authors.forename: Mauri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iivonen
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomminen
authors.forename: Esa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Könönen
authors.forename: Niku
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oksala
authors.forename: Harri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mustonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000713:Anastomosis, Roux-en-Y; D002299:Cardia; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D005756:Gastritis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007583:Jejunum / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome