Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of carcinoma of the gastric cardia.
OBJECTIVE
The prognosis of patients with carcinoma of the gastric cardia (CGC) is poorer than that of patients with distal third gastric carcinoma (DTGC). The main aim of this study is to investigate whether the tumor location is an important prognostic factor.


METHODS
312 patients (8.1%) were diagnosed with CGC and reviewed retrospectively.


RESULTS
T1 stage tumors were less common in patients with CGC than in those with DTGC (p< 0.001). Lymph node invasion was more common in CGC patients than in DTGC patients (p< 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that patient age, lymph node status, and resection with curative intent were significant prognostic factors for the survival of CGC patients. Of the patients who underwent tumor resection with curative intent, the 5-year survival rate of CGC patients was lower than that of DTGC patients (57.4 vs. 63.1%), but no significant difference was observed between the two groups (p> 0.05). When the CGC group was divided into patients who underwent resection with or without curative intent, the 5-year survival rates were 52.8 and 6.0%, respectively (p< 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
According to our results, curative resection itself, rather than tumor location, was the determining factor in improving 5-year survival.
Kim
Dong Yi
DY
Division of Gastroenterologic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea. dockim@chonnam.ac.kr
Joo
Jae Kyoon
JK
Ryu
Seong Yeob
SY
Park
Young Kyu
YK
Kim
Young Jin
YJ
Kim
Shin Kon
SK
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002299:Cardia / Q000473:pathology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate