Gastric remnant cancer has a better prognosis than primary gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To study the prognosis of gastric remnant cancer following radical resection (group 1) compared with that of primary gastric cancer of the upper third of the stomach following radical resection (group 2).

DESIGN

Cohort study with a 5-year follow-up.

SETTING

A university hospital in Austria.

PATIENTS

Group 1 consisted of 43 patients, and group 2, of 61. Postoperative deaths and deaths during the follow-up period that were not related to gastric cancer were excluded. Fifteen patients in group 1 (34.9%) presented with stage I cancer; 10 (23.3%), stage II; 13 (30.2%), stage III; and five (11.6%), stage IV. Twenty patients in group 2 (32.8%) presented with stage I cancer; 12 (19.7%), stage II; 15 (24.6%), stage III; and 14 (22.9%), stage IV (Union Internationale Contre le Cancer staging classification, 1987).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Overall and stage-related 5-year survival rates.

RESULTS

The overall 5-year survival rate was 53.5% in group 1 and 32.8% in group 2 (P < .05). The stage-related 5-year survival rate in group 1 was 100% for stage I and 80% for stage II. In group 2, the stage-related 5-year survival rate was 65% for stage I and 25% for stage II (both, P < .01). No significant difference was noted for stages III and IV.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis of cancer of the gastric remnant presenting as stage I or II is good and is significantly better than that of the equivalent stages of primary cancer of the upper third of the stomach.