title: [Prognostic significance of preoperative serum albumin level in patients with gastric cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative serum albumin in patients with gastric cancer undergoing radical resection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 146 patients with gastric cancer underwent radical resection from January 2001 to December 2003. Clinicopathological data were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups, including patients with a normal preoperative serum albumin level(>35 g/L, n=115) and patients with hypoalbuminemia (≤35 g/L, n=31).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with a low albumin level were associated with a higher postoperative recurrence rate(90.3% vs. 43.5%, P<0.01). The overall 5-year survival rate in patients with a normal serum albumin level was significantly higher than that in patients with a low serum level(57.4% vs. 9.7%, P<0.01). On multivariate analysis, preoperative serum albumin level was an independent factor associated with survival(P<0.01). When stratified by nodal metastasis, normal serum albumin level was still associated with higher survival rate(P<0.05). Prognostic significance was found in patients with lower stomach cancer(P<0.01), but not in patients with cancer in the upper and middle stomach(P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypoalbuminemia is associated with worse survival in patients with cancer in the lower stomach and adjuvant therapy should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Tianjin Cancer Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Treatment of Tianjin City, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300060, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Ru-peng
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.forename: Jing-zhu
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xiang-yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin