title: Significant differences in the clinicopathological characteristics and survival of gastric cancer patients from two cancer centers in china and Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the clinicopathological data and long-term survival of gastric cancer patients in China and Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who had undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 1998 and 2009 in 2 high-volume institutions in both China (n=1,637) and Korea (n=2,231) were retrospectively evaluated. Clinicopathological variables, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and surgery-related complications were assessed for all patients and compared between the 2 institutions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chinese patients included in the study were significantly older and had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than the Korean patients. Esophagogastric junction tumors were more frequent in Chinese patients. However, the number of patients with stage I gastric cancer, the number of harvested lymph nodes, and the number of total gastrectomies were significantly higher in the Korean population. Korean patients also presented with fewer undifferentiated tumors than Chinese patients. Furthermore, Korean patients had prolonged OS and PFS for stage III cancers only. BMI, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, tumor invasion, number of positive lymph nodes, and distant metastases were all independent factors affecting OS and PFS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although China and Korea are neighboring Asian countries, the clinicopathological characteristics of Chinese patients are significantly different from those of Korean patients. Korean gastric cancer patients had longer OS and PFS than Chinese patients. Influencing factors included TNM stage, tumor invasion, and lymph node metastasis.
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Zhan Long
authors: ZL
authors: Shen
authors: Department of Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Kyo Young
authors: KY
authors: Song
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Ying Jiang
authors: YJ
authors: Ye
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Qi Wei
authors: QW
authors: Xie
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Liang
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Kewei
authors: K
authors: Jiang
authors: Department of Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Cho Hyun
authors: CH
authors: Park
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Shan
authors: S
authors: Wang
keywords: China; Clinicopathological characteristics; Korea; Stomach neoplasms; Survival