Background: Although the prognosis of patients with early gastric carcinoma has improved, we still sometimes encounter recurrences following curative resection. Which carcinomas will recur and when a patient will die of recurrence are difficult to predict.
Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinicopathological findings in 552 patients with early gastric carcinoma in terms of predicting recurrent cases and postoperative intervals to death from tumor recurrence. Predictive factors for postoperative recurrence were examined by multivariate analysis.
Results and conclusion: Patients developing recurrence were significantly older, and regional lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion and limited surgery were significantly more frequent. Two-thirds of patients who died of tumor recurrence survived more than 2 years after gastrectomy. The predictive factors for recurrence of early gastric carcinoma were regional lymph node metastasis, limited lymphadectomy and invasion of carcinoma into the submucosa. Extended radical lymphadectomy with gastrectomy and long-term intensive follow-up are needed for patients showing these factors.