Prognostic significance of tumor size in T3 gastric cancer.

Abstract

Clinical significance of tumor size remains elusive in gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of tumor size in T3 gastric cancer. A total of 273 patients with T3 gastric cancer who underwent curative D2 gastrectomy between 1996 and 2005 were evaluated. In terms of average value of tumor size, patients were divided into two groups according to tumor size: small-size group (SSG, tumor <or=6 cm) and large-size group (LSG, tumor >6 cm). The prognostic value of tumor size and the correlation between tumor size and other clinicopathologic factors were investigated. LSG accounted for 34.8% in all patients. Tumor size was correlated with histological type, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and resection type. The prognosis of LSG patients was worse than that of SSG patients. Multivariate analysis showed that type of resection, status of lymph nodes, metastatic lymph node ratio, and tumor size were defined as independent prognostic factors for patients with T3 gastric cancer. A comparison between LSG patients and SSG patients showed differences in the survival of those with stage IIIB and IV disease. Tumor size is a simple and reliable prognostic factor for patients with T3 gastric cancer; it might be a candidate for the gastric cancer staging system.