Background: Gastric cancer is the second cause of cancer death worldwide and the first cause in Chile. Management of this pathology is controversial.
Aim: To report the results on morbidity, mortality, and long-term survival rates of surgical treatment of gastric cancer, and compare them with those reported in the literature.
Material and methods: Follow up of 423 patients (aged 16 to 88 years, 271 males) operated for a gastric adenocarcinoma between 1996 and 2002. Patients were staged with the 5th edition of TNM staging system, and the 2nd edition in English of the Japanese Classification of Gastric Cancer. Morbidity was assessed using the classification of the Memorial Kettering Cancer Center group. Kapplan-Meier method was used to assay survival, and Log rank Test to compare long-term survivals.
Results: Resectability of the lesions was 70.4%, and 88% of them corresponded to a curative-intended surgery. Seventy percent of patients were in stage TNM IIIA or higher at the moment of surgery. Mortality in curative intended operated patients was 4.2%, and morbidity was 33.7%. Overall five years survival rate was 33%: In the group with curative intended surgery it was 52%. Two years survival rate in the non intended curative group was 3.4%.
Conclusions: The reported incidence of complications in our series is similar to that reported in the literature. Five year survival rates, morbidity and mortality were comparable to those reported abroad.