[Surgical treatment of elderly patients with early gastric cancer]

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of early gastric cancer (EGC), surgical treatment, and prognosis in elderly patients.

Methods: Seventy-four patients with EGC with a mean age of 68 years treated by gastrectomy from August 1977 to December 1997 were studied retrospectively. A total of 74 patients were followed up, and the SAS statistical package program was used for all analyses.

Results: The cumulative 5-year survival rate was 98.59% +/- 0.14%, and the 10-year survival rate was 91.61% +/- 0.04%. The 5-year survival rate in patients without lymph node metastasis was 100% and node-positive was only 75%. All of 74 patients were respectable, and there was neither operative death nor surgical infection.

Conclusions: If general condition in elderly patients permits, radical gastrectomy should be the choice of treatment for EGC, and D2 lymphadenectomy would be beneficial to some node positive patients. Local gastrectomy and partial gastrectomy are not suitable for EGC because of EGC may have multiple foci of cancer in 18.92%.