title: Prognostic value of subclassification of T2 tumours in patients with gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of tumour stage T2 subcategorization (T2a and T2b) in patients with gastric carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinicopathological details of a prospective series of patients who had radical resection of gastric adenocarcinoma in a single institution were analysed. Univariable and multivariable survival analyses were performed with the log rank test and Cox's model respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 373 evaluable patients, 49 (13.1 per cent) had a T2a and 143 (38.3 per cent) a T2b tumour. At a median follow-up of 35.5 months, the 5-year overall survival rate was 73 and 31.1 per cent for patients with T2a and T2b lesions respectively (P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, T stage remained an independent prognostic factor. Compared with T1a, the mortality risk for patients with T1b (hazard ratio (HR) 1.00; P = 0.992) and T2a (HR 0.97; P = 0.916) tumours was similar; by contrast, the risk of death associated with T2b (HR 1.81; P = 0.031) and T3 (HR 1.89; P = 0.038) lesions was significantly greater than for T1a tumours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subclassification of T2 tumours should be undertaken routinely in order to stratify patients with gastric cancer more accurately in terms of their mortality risk.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Chirurgica II, Department of Oncological and Surgical Sciences, University of Padua, Italy. donato.nitti@unipd.it
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nitti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marchet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mocellin
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ambrosi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mencarelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000401:mortality