[Prognostic significance of the Lauren classification of patients with stomach carcinoma. A statistical analysis of long-term results following gastrectomy].

To evaluate the prognostic difference between the 2 major histological types of Lauren classification in gastric cancer, data on patients who underwent the same surgical procedure -- total gastrectomy -- were studied. 124 consecutive total gastrectomy cases treated from 1979 to 1986 were classified according to Lauren retrospectively into 2 groups, comprising 63 patients (50.8%) with intestinal type carcinoma and 61 in another group of diffuse (n = 44, 35.5%) or mixed type (n = 17, 13.7%) carcinoma. In regard to extent of total gastrectomy the two groups were comparable (splenectomy 50 times and compartment II lymphadenectomy 43 times in the intestinal type group, vs 49 and 39 times in the diffuse or mixed type group). The proportion of males (42 men, 21 women) and older patients (mean: 62 years) was greater in the intestinal type group than in the group of diffuse or mixed type carcinoma (34 men, 27 women, mean: 57 years). According to TNM stage no significant difference was observed in local tumor infiltration (pT stage), lymph node metastases (pN) and distal metastases (pM) between the two groups at the time of surgery. The stages of disease (UICC 1987) were similar in the two groups: Stage I: intestinal type 25.4% (16/63), diffuse or mixed type 23% (14/61), stage II: 19% (12/63) vs 14.7% (9/61), stage III: 14.3% (9/63) vs 19.7% (12/61), stage IV: 41.3% (26/63) vs 42.6% (26/61). The hospital mortality was 9.5% (6/63) in the intestinal-type group and 8.5% (5/61) in the group of diffuse or mixed carcinoma (no significant difference).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)