Outcomes among patients treated for gastric adenocarcinoma during the last decade

Objectives To evaluate the outcomes among patients treated for gastric adenocarcinoma in a referral hospital, and to identify possible trends during the last decade. Methods All patients evaluated for gastric adenocarcinoma during the period 19992009 were included. Results Of 397 patients, 52% were curatively resected. Crude 5-year survival for the first 6 years period was 38.7% (CI 29.547.9), for the last 5 years, 49.2% (CI 38.859.6). Time period (P=0.013), age (P<0.001) and disease stage (P<0.001), were significant predictors of long-term survival rates. Among curatively resected, in-hospital mortality was reduced from 8.5% in the first period to 2.0% in the last one (P=0.037). There was a significant increase in the use of primary stents from the first to the last period (P=0.006), paralleled by a significant reduction in the number of explorative laparotomies or bypass procedures (P<0.001). Conclusions During the last decade, long-term survival rates improved among patients curatively resected for gastric adenocarcinoma, and in-hospital mortality was substantially reduced. For patients in a non-curative situation, there was a significant shift from explorative laparotomies or bypass procedures to primary use of stents. J. Surg. Oncol. 2013;107:752757. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.