title: Ulcer size as a novel indicator marker is correlated with prognosis of ulcerative gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to assess the significance of ulcer size for the survival of gastric cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 260 patients with ulcerative gastric cancer who had undergone curative resection were reviewed. The diameter of the malignant ulcer was measured. Patients were divided into group U1 (< or =3 cm) and group U2 (>3 cm) according to the diameter of the ulcer. The prognostic significance of ulcer size was assessed by uni- and multivariate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patient survival was correlated with age, gender, tumor location, tumor size, ulcer size, serosal invasion, node involvement and synchronism distant metastasis. The 5-year overall survival rate in U1 patients was 84.3% as compared with 67.5% in U2 patients (p < 0.001), and the 5-year recurrence-free survival rates were 82.9% for group U1 and 62.5% for group U2 (p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that ulcer size is an independently significant predictive factor for survival rates (overall: hazard ratio 1.222, p = 0.003; recurrence-free: hazard ratio 1.205, p = 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ulcer size might be a potential indicator for advanced disease and the use of minimal local treatments must be considered carefully in larger ulcer size patients.
authors: Department of Surgical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University College of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China.
authors: C Y
authors: CY
authors: Xu
authors: J G
authors: JG
authors: Shen
authors: J Y
authors: JY
authors: Shen
authors: W J
authors: WJ
authors: Chen
authors: L B
authors: LB
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome