ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the current clinical treatment status of gastric cancer in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis of clinicopathological characteristics of 636 patients with gastric cancer was conducted. Tumor response was evaluated using RECIST version 1.1 criteria.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Six hundred and thirty-six patients were included in this retrospective cohort: 479 men and 157 women. The median age was 57 years (14 to 86). The tumor site was: proximal (41.4%), distal (46.4%) or unknown (12.2%). The histology was: adenocarcinoma (85.8%), signet ring cell carcinoma (6.9%), or other and unknown (7.2%). The differentiation of the adenocarcinomas was: well differentiated (31.0%), moderately differentiated (13.4%), poorly differentiated (37.0%), or unknown (18.7%). The pTNM stage was: 0 (0.3%), I (3.6%), II (10.1%), III (36.8%), IV (45.6%), or unknown (3.6%). In 284 patients who underwent radical resection, the ratio of examined ten and/or more lymph nodes was higher in hospitals at or above provincial level than in hospitals at regional level (57.9% vs. 39.6%, P = 0.009). The disease-free survival was longer (21.7 m vs. 14.6 m, P = 0.005), and the overall survival was longer too (52.9 m vs. 33.8 m, P = 0.040). In 205 patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, the ratio of administered six and/or more cycles chemotherapy was 42.1% vs. 35.2% (P = 0.318), and the disease-free survival was 22.7 m vs. 16.3 m (P = 0.005) between hospitals at or above provincial level and hospitals at regional level. In 387 patients with metastatic or unresectable gastric cancer who received palliative chemotherapy, the overall survival was 11.1 m (95%CI 9.9 - 12.3 m). Among them, 198 patients received second and/or more line chemotherapy, and the overall survival was longer (12.5 m vs. 7.7 m, P < 0.001). Except a longer progression-free survival (10.2 m, P < 0.05) and a longer overall survival (16.9 m, P < 0.05) were corresponded with the regimen containing trastuzumab, no other significant difference was observed among regimens in first line chemotherapy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Chinese doctors working in different level hospitals have a different understanding of the treatment standard of gastric cancer, which resulted in different outcomes.</p>