GASTRIC-CANCER - PROGNOSIS AND LYMPH-NODE REACTIVITY

Objective: To assess the prognostic value of various immunomorphologic al variables in the prognosis of gastric cancer after curative resecti on. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University hospital, Italy. Subjects: 180 Patients who underwent curative resection for carcinoma of the distal two thirds of stomach between January 1960 and December 1978. Curative was defined as no residual cancer at the resection marg ins and no distant metastases. Interventions: All living patients were followed-up, and missing survival data were obtained from the Officia l Census Registry. Main outcome measures: Correlation between survival and nuclear grade, lymphocytic infiltration, and types of lymph node reaction such as sinus histiocytosis, paracortical lymphoid cellular h yperplasia, and follicular hyperplasia in the cortical area. Results: Crude 5 year and 10 year survival rates were 46% and 36%, respectively . Sex, site, and histological type of the tumour did not correlate wit h survival. Multivariate analysis showed that only pTNM stage of disea se and degree of sinus histiocytosis were significantly related to sur vival. Conclusion: There may be an argument for using the presence or absence of sinus histiocytosis to stratify patients in prospective stu dies of adjuvant treatment.