Clinicopathological Features and Prognostic Factors of T2 Gastric Cancer

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: T2 gastric cancer is classified as advanced cancer, and defined as tumors invading into the muscularis propria or subserosa, but is limited within the gastric wall. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of T2 gastric cancer. METHODS: Out of 384 gastric cancer patients, 44 (11.5%), who underwent a gastrectomy for T2 gastric cancer, between January 2001 and December 2004 were analyzed. The clinicopathological features and prognostic factors were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 3.4 to 1, with a mean age of 57 years. The most common lesion location was the lower one third of the stomach (63.6%). The median lesion size was 3.7 cm. Borrmann type II was the most common lesion gross type (52.3%) and a moderately differentiated carcinoma the most common histological type (36.4%). Lymph node metastasis was found in 19 patients (43.2%). According to the disease stage, the disease free survival rates were 92.9, 91.7, 66.7 and 0.0% in stages I, II, III and IV, respectively. From a univariate analysis, the tumor size and TNM stage were found to be significant prognostic factors for T2 gastric cancer. A further examination by multivariate analysis demonstrated that the TNM stage was the only significant prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: The TNM stage according to lymph node metastasis was the only significant prognostic factor for T2 gastric cancer. Extensive lymph node dissection should be performed to improve the disease free survival from T2 gastric cancer.