An Observation on Surgical Results of Gastric Cancers. To Avoid Deaths by Gastric Cancer / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

During about thirty years, from April 1969 to December 1999, we experienced 2, 987 cases of gastric cancer, hospitalized in the surgical department of Tsuchiura Kyodo General Hospital.<BR>Clinical and pathological observations revealed that the most important factor to improve the post-operative survival is to diagnose and treat as soon as possible, regardless of patients' subjective symptoms.<BR>We divided our gastric cancer cases into three categories. Category one: those who visited our hospital with some abdominal symptoms. Category two: those who were checked by indirect radiography in gastric mass screening. Category three: those who were examined by direct gastric radiography or gastric fiberscopy, as a part of total health check-up, or during following-up of other diseases than stomach trouble.<BR>The results were as follows. In category one, total operated patients were 1, 994, those who died were 1, 218, and those who died of gastric cancer were 985 (49.4% of operated cases). In category two, total operated patients were 517, those who died were 118, and those who died of gastric cancer were 86 people (16.6%). In category three, total operated patients were 449, those who died were 117, and only 53 patients (11.8%) died of gastric cancer.<BR>It became clear that to get gastric examination radiologically or endoscopically before any abdominal symptoms appear, is critically beneficial to avoid deaths by gastric cancer.