Remnant Gastric Cancer

ABSTRACT

Remnant gastric cancer is defined broadly as cancer that develops in the remnant stomach after the resection of nonmalignant or malignant lesions. Generally speaking, remnant gastric cancer is defined as its interval between previous gastrectomy and the detection of remnant gastric cancer must be over 10 years in the previous malignant or nonmalignant lesions. From Aug. 1988 to Dec. 1995, fifteen patients who were operated as remnant gastric cancer (broad definition) in Hanyang Universty Hospital was reviewed as follows. Sex distribution was 12 cases in male and 3 cases in female. Peak incidence of age was 5th and 6th decades.The T.N.M. staging was at first operation: benign disease in 6 cases, stage I in 4 cases, stage IIIa in 1 case, stage IIIb in 2 cases and unknown stage in 2 cases, and at 2nd operation; stage I in 3 cases,stage II in 1 case, stage IIIa in 2 cases, stage IIIb in 5 cases, stage IV in 4 cases. The interval between first and second operation was as follows : less than 5 years in 4 cases, 5 to 10 years in 2 cases, 10 to 15 years in 3 cases, and over 20 years in 6 cases. The procedure at first operation was Billroth II procedure, and the procedure at 2nd operation was as follows: total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy in 12 cases,total gastrectomy with loop esophagojejunostomy in 2 cases,dismentling partial gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy in 1 case. In our opinion,early diagnosis of remnant carcinoma following gastric surgery by the endoscopic follow up and aggresive surgery are important to improve disease free interval and patient survival.