title: Prognostic indicators of gastric carcinoma confined to the muscularis propria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gastric carcinoma confined to the muscularis propria (MPGC) is considered an intermediate-stage carcinoma. A method of discriminating between more favourable and less favourable prognostic groups of this entity is critically needed in dealing with this heterogeneous disease. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between survival of patients with MPGC and its various clinicopathological parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Various clinicopathological parameters were studied in 171 tissue samples including: macroscopic appearance, size, age, sex, stage, invasion depth, Lauren and Ming classifications, extent, lymphatic emboli and nodal metastasis. Tumours macroscopically resembling early gastric cancers, younger patient age, absence of lymphatic tumour emboli and lower stage were significantly associated with better prognosis of MPGC by univariate analysis. Tumours macroscopically resembling early gastric cancers, younger patient age and Lauren's diffuse type were significantly associated with a better prognosis of MPGC by multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These indicators are practical parameters for predicting patient prognosis in clinical practice. The description of these parameters should be carefully noted in the final report and pathologists should evaluate the macroscopic appearance of MPGC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Centre [corrected] Sungkyukwan University School of Medicine [corrected] Seoul, Korea. hjson@samsung.com
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Myung
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Y D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rhee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*