[Carcinoma of the gastric stump after resection of benign disease (32 cases)].

Gastric stump carcinomas have a poor prognosis; the etiology, diagnosis and treatment are not well-defined. The authors analyze their experience with 32 patients with carcinoma of the gastric stump after gastric resection for peptic ulcer; the age of the patients was 44-72 years. The period of latency, since the previous resection, was 28 years. At the time of diagnosis, all patients were symptomatic. The radiological study was positive in 69% of cases and endoscopic exploration and biopsy in 100%. 47% of patients could be resected but the surgery was considered radical only in 4. The tumors were always adenocarcinomas; the muscular layer was infiltrated in 86% of cases and to adjacent organs in 52%. 76% of cases presented lymph node metastases and 31% distant metastases. There were 8 postoperative deaths (28%). The five years survival was 4.2%. The poor prognosis of this lesion emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment as well as that of periodic follow-up of gastrectomized patients older than 50.