[Critical evaluation of prophylactic splenectomy in total gastrectomy for stomach cancer].

In gastric cancer surgery, an extended radical operation is commonly performed, and in cases of total gastrectomy, there is a tendency to perform splenectomy at the same time. In order to examine the value of prophylactic splenectomy in gastric cancer surgery, a comparable patient group was followed up, and it was formed that the non-splenectomized group showed a better late survival rate than the splenectomized group. Although these results do not necessarily contraindicate combined splenectomy, it seems desirable to reappraise the value of prophylactic splenectomy in cases having no metastasis in the splenic hilar and adjuvant lymph nodes.