Results of combined gastrectomy and pancreatic resection in patients with advanced primary gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although the incidence of primary gastric carcinoma is decreasing, the majority of patients in Western countries are still diagnosed with advanced tumor stages. In many cases surgical therapy can be performed only by multivisceral resections including the pancreas.

METHODS

Between April 1986 and April 1997, thirty-three patients with primary gastric carcinoma underwent gastric resection and segmental/total pancreatectomy at our institution (21 males, 12 females; median age 57 years). The operative and pathologic findings and clinical course in these patients were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

In all patients total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy was performed. In 26 patients (79%) the pancreatic tail was also resected. Other resections included the pancreatic head in 5 patients (15%) and the whole pancreas in 2 cases (6%). Radical (R0) resections were possible in 73% of all cases (n = 24). 22 patients (67%) had stage-IV disease due to liver/peritoneal metastases (n = 11) or to extensive lymph node metastases (N3, n = 11). Histology showed a predominance of the diffuse type according to Laurén (n = 16, 49%). Intraoperatively suspected tumor infiltration of the pancreas was confirmed by histology only in 39% (n = 13) of the examined resection specimens. Postoperative morbidity was 36% (n = 12) and mortality was 9% (n = 3). Five patients developed pancreatitis or peripancreatic abscess, 2 with a lethal outcome. Overall the median survival was 13 months. Following R0 resection median survival was 17 months. If the pancreas was microscopically not infiltrated, median survival was 23 months.

CONCLUSION

Pancreatic invasion in patients with gastric carcinoma is often associated with positive lymph nodes and liver metastases or peritoneal carcinomatosis. Intraoperatively, true pancreas invasion is difficult to differentiate from inflammatory reactions. Postoperative morbidity and mortality are increased by pancreatic resection, mainly due to pancreatitis or peripancreatic abscess. Curative (R0) resection improves prognosis and even long-term survival can be achieved in selected individual cases. Palliative resections can be performed for local complications like bleeding or obstruction refractory to other therapies.