Predictors of long-term survival in node-positive gastric carcinoma patients with curative resection.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

We analyzed the clinicopathologic features of node-positive gastric carcinoma patients who were long-term survivors (5 years or longer) and evaluated the predictive factors associated with long-term survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Of 554 node-positive gastric carcinoma patients with curative resection, 161 (29.1%) were long-term survivors, and 393 died of the disease before 5 years.

RESULTS

The long-term survivor group had a recurrence rate of 16.1%, while the recurrence rate was 95.4% in the short-term survivor group (P < 0.05). The mean tumor size in the long-term survivors (4.5 cm) was significantly smaller than that in the short-term survivors (5.3 cm; P < 0.001). A depth of invasion greater than T3 was found more frequently in the short-term survivor group (88.1%) than in the long-term survivor group (70.1%; P < 0.001). Using Cox's proportional hazard regression model, the only factor found to be an independent, statistically significant prognostic parameter was tumor size (risk ratio, 0.301; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.88; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The tumor size emerged as the only independent, significant factor for the prediction of long-term survival in node-positive gastric carcinoma patients with curative resection.