Background/aim: Surgical treatment of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma means the total excision of a tumor and the pathways of its spreading with the risk of operational complications as low as possible. The aim of this study was to evaluate the type and frequency of early postoperative complications and mortality after a radical surgical treatment of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma.
Methods: Complication rates and postoperative mortality were studied in 70 consecutive patients in whom a radical surgical procedure, gastrectomy (total or subtotal) with D2 lymphadenectomy, was performed. In the early postoperative period, the frequencies of general and specific complications were detected. The frequencies of complications were compared between the groups of patients according to the defined clinical, operative and pathohistological paramethers.
Results: The overall morbidity and mortality rates were 27.14% and 5.71%, respectively Pancreatic fistula in five, and pleural effusion in three patients were the most frequently registered complications. Three of four deaths occured in patients older than 70 years, with the stage III and IV of the disease, and in all of them total gastrectomy with splenectomy was performed. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in complication rates was found between the groups of patients with and without splenectomy and with the tumors > 5 cm and < or = 5 cm.
Conclusion: Radical surgical treatment of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma might be done with an acceptable morbidity and mortality if it is performed by the surgeons with the experience in D2 lymphadenectomy technique. A diameter of the tumor > 5 cm, and splenectomy, and/or splenopancreatectomy are the most important risk factors for the occurrence of complications and modifications of D2 lymphadenectomy technique with limited indications for splenic and/or pancreas resection can improve treatment results. An individual approach and the appropriate selection of the surgical procedure are necessary in patients older than 70 years.