[Surgical therapy of stomach cancer-stagnation or progress? Results of 2665 stomach cancer patients].

The results of surgical therapy in 1165 patients with gastric cancer who underwent treatment between 1949 and 1964 are compared with those of 1500 patients who were operated on between 1969 and 1981. Special emphasis is placed on curability, operative methods and postoperative mortality. The 5-year survival rates of patients from the time periods 1950-1959 and 1969-1976 are compared. 1. The percentage of curatively treated patients increased significantly from 46,7% (1949-1964) to 57,0% (1969-1981). 2. The postoperative mortality after total gastrectomy was further reduced significantly: it was 25% from 1957-1964, but only 13% from 1976-1981. 3. The 5-year survival rate of all patients with gastric cancer increased significantly from 10% (1950-1959) to 17% (1969-1976). 4. The 5-year survival rate after curative operations increased from 22% to 30%; after curative distal partial gastrectomy from 22% to 42% and after curative total gastrectomy from 6% to 20%. 5. The median survival time after palliative operations without resection of the tumor was 3 months. Since 1977 more than one third of the patients who could not be treated curatively underwent resection of the tumor. The median survival time in this group is 6 months with improved quality of life.