Significant prognostic factors in patients with node-negative gastric cancer

Background: We evaluated the influence of several clinicopathological varia bles on 5 year survival of patients with node-negative gastric cancer. Patients and Methods: Clinical characteristics were retrieved from the reco rds of all patients who underwent gastric resection between 1985 and 1995 a t the Department of General Surgery, Sendai National Hospital, and follow-u p data were obtained from our tumor registry. Pathological characteristics were determined from a detailed review of all available histopathological s lides. The results of a retrospective analysis of clinicopathological data of 339 patients having no lymph node metastasis were compared with those of 358 patients with lymph node metastasis. Univariate and multivariate analy ses of patients with node-negative gastric cancer were performed to evaluat e the prognostic significance of clinicopathological features (age, gender, gross type, histological type, depth of invasion and location). Results: The 5 year survival rate for patients with node-negative gastric c ancer was 92.5%. Node-negative gastric cancers were characterized by a smal ler tumor, expansive and medullary histological type, and less frequency of lymphatic invasion and vascular permeation. In multivariate analysis, the statistical significant prognostic factors were tumor size (P = 0.0185), va scular permeation (P = 0.0011) and cancer-stromal relationship (P = 0.0291) . Conclusion: Tumor size, vascular microinvasion and cancer-stromal relations hip are the most reliable predictors of 5 year survival for patients with n ode-negative gastric cancer.