[The results of treatment of gastric cancer in the Provincial Hospital in Zielona Góra]

Abstract

Introduction: Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer worldwide in both sexes, following lung and breast cancer. The incidence of gastric cancer in Poland is approximately 5% in men and approximately 2.5% in women, among the complete incidence of cancers. Deaths from gastric cancer in men in Poland in 2009 amounted to 6.6%, while in women--4.6%. The highest mortality rate in men is observed in the Lubuskie, Podkarpackie, Slaskie and Opolskie provinces. European average 5-year survival in the EUROCARE-4 study is 24.5%.

Aim: The aim of this paper was to assess the treatment of gastric cancer in the Department of General and Oncological Surgery of the Provincial Hospital in Zielona Góra.

Materials and methods: The retrospective analysis of 109 patients with gastric cancer, operated in the years 2003-2007, was performed. The analysis included patients scheduled for admission with the histopathological confirmation of adenocarcinoma, prepared to and subjected to laparotomy. The post-operative intrahospital deaths were estimated up to 30 days after surgery. The analysis of the survival rates was performed up to 1, 6, 12, 36 and 60 months since lapatoromy. All the continuous variables with the standard distribution were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation, while the total survival rates were assessed by means of the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: 55 patients (50.5%) underwent the radical surgical procedure intended to cure them. The remaining 54 patients (49.5%) could not be qualified for the radical surgical procedures. In 35 cases (32%) underwent laparotomy with biopsy, in 19 cases (17%) palliative surgery (intestinal bypass, gastrostomy, palliative resection). Out of 55 patients underwent the radical surgical procedure 9 patients died after the procedure (16.4%). The survival rates calculated for all the patients revealed that 21.1% patients survived 5 years after the surgery.

Conclusions: Almost a half of the patients (49.5%) who were admitted for treatment had an advanced stage of the disease that could not be qualified for the radical surgical procedures. The distant results of surgical treatment are non-satisfactory due to the fact that the disease was so advanced. 5-year-long survival rates (21.1% in our data) are higher that the ones listed in the EUROCARE-4 test for Poland (14.4%), but lower than the European average (24.5%).