Gastric Remnant Cancer: Continuing Serious and Insidious Problem for Surgeons

Background/Aims: Gastric remnant cancers (GRC) are usually detected at a later stage resulting in low rates of curative resection and a consequently poor prognosis. The incidence and etiology of GRC have been changing recently because of early detection and improved outcomes in patients with gastric cancers. This study was performed to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with GRC. Methodology: From January 2004 and July 2014, 27 patients with GRC who underwent surgery were analyzed retrospectively. The clinicopathological and follow-up data of 27 patients were evaluated including age, gender, types of reconstruction, tumor location, histological types, TNM stages, surgical treatment and prognosis. Results: Total 221 patients underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer and ulcer disease and 27 (12.7%) consecutive GRC patients were included in this study. The median survival for all 27 patients was 20.0 +/- 2.4 months. Previous malign disease, advanced TNM stage and non-curative resection were the negative prognostic factors for survival in patients with remnant stomach cancer (p<0.05). Conclusions: Regular follow-up is one of the important factors affecting the early diagnosis and median survive time of patients with GRC. Curative resection is recommended operative treatment procedure to improve the survival when GRC patient diagnosed.