Prognostic factors for patients with gastric cancer after surgical resection

Background Stomach cancer is the 8th most common cause of cancer death, with median age of diagnosis 70 years for men and 74 years for women. Surgical resection is still the method of choice and surgical trials are focused on identifying prognostic factors for groups of patients undergoing curative surgery. Aim The aim of our retrospective study was an analysis of prognostic factors in a group of patients with gastric cancer. Materials/Methods We retrospectively analyzed a group of 248 patients with gastric cancer. Clinical and histological parameters were collected and then correlated with each another and with survival time using statistical parametric and nonparametric methods. Survival probability was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method. Statistical significance of prognostic factors depending on survival time was assessed by the Cox nonparametric proportional hazard regression model. Results Univariate analysis showed significance of the following parameters: weight loss of more than 10 kg, tumour size, histological type of tumour, lymph node involvement, stage at the time of diagnosis and type of operation. Multivariate analysis showed that weight loss of more than 10 kg, T2 tumour size, lymph metastases, total gastrectomy and finally curative operation were independent prognostic factors of survival. Conclusions Taking our data together we conclude that: (i) lymph node metastasis is a significant prognostic factor with poor prognosis, (ii) type of operation is a significant prognostic factor of survival, (iii) we confirmed the influence of T2 depth of invasion for patients' overall survival, (iv) weight loss of more than 10 kg displays a statistical correlation with survival time and worse prognosis, (v) parameters connected with complications after surgical procedures have no influence on survival time in the examined group.