Background: Gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy is the advocated treatment in Japan for patients with "curable" stomach cancer. Attempts in units elsewhere adopting this approach failed to show any survival advantage, and the high operative mortality has prevented global acceptance of the operation. This study examines the safety and efficacy of radical gastrectomy in a Far East center outside Japan.
Study design: A consecutive series of 121 patients with gastric cancer who fulfilled criteria for radical surgery had total gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy equivalent to D3 dissection over a 6-year period in a single unit.
Results: The operation carried a morbidity of 50%, with a perioperative mortality of 5%. Survival was best predicted by tumor stage: 5-year survival for patients with intact gastric serosa was 64%, versus 10% for those with serosal penetration (p < 0.001). The majority of documented metastases occurred by transperitoneal route in serosa-positive patients, but via the hematogenous mechanisms in those who were serosa-negative.
Conclusions: Radical gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy carries high operative morbidity. Increased mortality occurred because of loco-regional recurrence in patients with T3/T4 diseases. Novel approaches including neoadjuvant treatment or regional therapy should be explored.