[Research on correlations between immuno-nutritional parameters and oncologic stage in patients operated on for cancer of the stomach].

A correlation was sought, in 40 patients operated on for gastric cancer, between a number of immunological and nutritional variables and oncological stage. Prealbumin, transferrin, C3, C4, total complement (CH100), total serum lymphocytes, IgG, IgA and IgM were evaluated preoperatively prior to commencing any nutritional treatment. Statistical analysis was performed with a view to assessing whether the values of the above-mentioned parameters, taken singly or as a whole, differed in the 4 in the 4 oncological stages (UICC 1978). Analysis of individual parameter values showed a significant difference between stage I and stage IV with regard to prealbumin and between stages I and II with regard to C3 (p = 0.0165 and p = 0.0329, respectively). When evaluating the 9 parameters as a whole, no significant differences emerged, though such differences might be detected on increasing the study population and by adopting statistical procedures aimed at eliminating the least significant variables from the model.