The predictors and clinical impact of positive resection margins on frozen section in gastric cancer surgery.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of tumor and prognosis, depending on the status of resection margin involvement, on the frozen section diagnosis in gastric cancer.


METHODS
This study was conducted retrospectively, in 83 margin-positive patients on the frozen section diagnosis, who underwent gastrectomy from July 1995 to September 2006. The control group was selected by matching the age, gender, TNM stage and status of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, among those who had shown clear resection margins. The characteristics of tumor and patient survival are investigated, and they were analyzed between the two groups.


RESULTS
The tumor size was significantly larger in the study group than that of the control group (P=0.037). There was significant difference between the two groups in location of the tumors (P=0.003). Multivariate analysis indicated that only the location and Lauren's classification are independent factors, which affected the resection margin involvement. Median survival was 41.0±11.5 months in the study group and 93.0±30.3 months in the control group (P=0.049). In the survival analysis, it was investigated that TNM stage and the resection margin involvement of the frozen section diagnosis were the critical variables.


CONCLUSIONS
When the tumor is located at the middle or the upper third, or the Lauren's indeterminate type, they are highly likely to show the resection margin involvement on the frozen section diagnosis, and it can, therefore, have negative effects on the prognosis. It is considered as good to perform more extensive resection as possible, during the initial resection.
Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Se Yeong
SY
Kim
Yoon Sun
YS
Hwang
Tae Sung
TS
Sohn
Seung Jong
SJ
Oh
Min Gew
MG
Choi
Jae Hyung
JH
Noh
Jae Moon
JM
Bae
Sung
S
Kim