An epidemiological and survival study of gastric carcinoma in the Somme area of France between 1987 and 1990.

Objectives: to determine the characteristics of gastric carcinomas diagnosed between 1987 and 1990 in the Somme area of France. Methods: The study was based on cancer registry data. During the study period, 301 cases of gastric carcinoma, including 255 of gastric adenocarcinoma, were identified, in 160 men and 95 women. Incidence rates were calculated. Relative survival rates were estimated using the J. Esteve method and compared using Cox models. Results: Crude incidence rates were 21.5/100 000 in men and 9.3/100 000 in women. Only 15.7 of tumors did not extend beyond the muscle layer. Surgical excision was performed in 127 cases (49.8%), chemotherapy in 12 cases (4.7%), and radiation therapy in two cases (0.8%). Overall five year survival was 13%. A multivariate analysis of the surgically-treated tumors identified four factors with a significant bearing on survival, namely invasion of the resection margin, invasion of lymph nodes, metastases to internal organs, and invasion of the wall. Conclusion :The diagnosis of gastric carcinoma in the Somme district was often delayed, the tumors were often not amenable to therapy, and the overall prognosis was grim.