title: Is concomitant splenectomy beneficial for the long-term survival of patients with gastric cancer undergoing curative gastrectomy? A single-institution study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Curative resection is the treatment of choice for gastric cancer, but it is unclear whether gastrectomy should also include splenectomy. We retrospectively analyzed long-term survival in patients in our hospital who underwent gastrectomy plus splenectomy (G+S) or gastrectomy alone (G-A) for gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified 214 patients who underwent surgery with curative intent between 1980 and 2003. Of these, 100 underwent G+S, and 114 underwent G-A. The primary endpoint was 5-year overall survival (OS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median follow-up was 18 months in patients who underwent G+S, and 26.5 months in patients who underwent G-A. The 5-year OS rate was significantly higher in patients who underwent G-A (33.8%; 95% CI 24.2 to 43.4%) than in those who underwent G+S (28.8%; 95% CI 19.6 to 38.0%) (log-rank test, P=0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Splenectomy does not benefit patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Routine splenectomy should be abandoned in patients undergoing radical resections for gastric cancer.
authors: Hao
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Deyan
authors: D
authors: Pang
authors: Huanming
authors: H
authors: Xu
authors: Yuan
authors: Y
authors: Ren
authors: Caigang
authors: C
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013156:Splenectomy; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome