title: Differences in gastric cancer survival between the U.S. and China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous comparisons of gastric cancer between the West and the East have focused predominantly on Japan and Korea, where early gastric cancer is prevalent, and have not included the Chinese experience, which accounts for approximately half the world's gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient characteristics, surgical procedures, pathologic information, and survival were compared among gastric cancer patients who underwent curative intent gastrectomy at two large volume cancer centers in China and the US between 1995 and 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age and body mass index were significantly higher in US patients. The proportion of proximal gastric cancer was comparable. Gastric cancer patients in China had larger tumors and a later stage at presentation. The median number of positive lymph nodes was higher (5 vs 4, P < 0.02) despite a lower lymph node retrieval (16 vs 22, P < 0.001) in Chinese patients. The probability of death due to gastric cancer in Chinese patients was 1.7 fold of that in the US (P < 0.0001) after adjusting for important prognostic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even after adjusting for important prognostic factors Chinese gastric cancer patients have a worse outcome than US gastric cancer patients. The differences between Chinese and US gastric cancer are a potential resource for understanding the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
authors.forename: Vivian E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Strong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ai-Wen
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
authors.forename: Luke V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Selby
authors.affiliation: Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
authors.forename: Mithat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonen
authors.affiliation: Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
authors.forename: Meier
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kyo Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Cho Hyun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Coit
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jia-Fu
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
authors.forename: Murray F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Brennan
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: gastrectomy; gastric cancer