title: Prognostic impact of cancer-related symptoms in recurrent gastric cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although routine postoperative follow-up is generally performed for early detection of recurrences, there is no evidence that the periodic follow-up improves survival in patients with gastric cancers. This study aimed to assess the prognostic impact of cancer-related symptomatic status during postoperative followup in gastric cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 81 gastric cancer patients, who developed recurrences after curative surgery, were retrospectively evaluated for clinicopathological findings with regard to the relationship to cancer-related symptoms at the time recurrences were diagnosed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Undifferentiated tumor type, advanced T-stage (T3/4) and peritoneal recurrence were more common in symptomatic patients groups, whereas differentiated tumor type and both locoregional and hematogenous recurrences were more common in asymptomatic patients (p = 0.02, 0.03 and 0.03, respectively). Disease-free survival showed that there were no significant differences between the asymptomatic and symptomatic patient group. However, the post-recurrence survival in patient with symptoms was significantly worse than that in those without symptoms (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cancer-related symptomatic status at the time recurrences are diagnosed might provide prognostic information predicting post-recurrence survival. However, we have to conclude that even intensive follow-up did not contribute to the early detection of recurrences in patients with gastric cancers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Digestive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 6028566, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosuga
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Kazuma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Yasutoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuriu
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikoma
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shiozaki
authors.forename: Yukihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kokuba
authors.forename: Teruhisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sonoyama
authors.forename: Eigo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Otsuji
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate