Clinicopathological features and surgical treatment of gastric cancer in South Korea: the results of 2009 nationwide survey on surgically treated gastric cancer patients

Abstract

Purpose: In an effort to examine the clinicopathological characteristics of GC and the status of its surgical treatment, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) conducted a nationwide survey targeting surgically-treated gastric cancer patients in 2009.

Materials and methods: A standardized electrical case report was sent to every member institution of the KGCA via E-mail with detailed instructions regarding the survey data. Completed data forms were retrieved from each institution and analyzed by the KGCA information committee.

Results: Data on 14,658 patients was collected from 59 institutions. The mean patient age was 59.2±11.9 years with a male to female ratio of 2.05 : 1. Lower third cancer (56.0%) was the most common among all gastric cancers. The histological type revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (34.1%) to be the most common, and the Lauren classification revealed the intestinal type (50.0%) to be the most prevalent. Curative surgery was performed in 92.4% of patients with laparoscopic surgery in 25.8% of patients. A Billroth I reconstruction was performed most frequently after a distal gastrectomy (63.4% of distal gastrectomy). T1 cancers accounted for 57.6% of all cases, and 62.6% of patients showed no lymph node metastasis. Compared to previous reports, it was found that patients are becoming older, laparoscopic surgery is being performed increasingly, and the proportion of T1 cancer is increasing with time.

Conclusions: This survey presented the clinicopathological characteristics and current status of the surgical treatment of gastric cancer in Korea. This survey is expected aid research studies as well as planning and evaluation programs targeting cancer control.

Keywords: Data collection; Demography; Republic of Korea; Stomach neoplasms; Surgical procedures.

Figures

Fig. 1

Tumor location stratified by age (A) and sex (B). The proportion of middle third cancers gradually decreased with age, while that of lower third cancers increased (A). No significant differences were found between men and women in terms of tumor location (B).

Fig. 2

Macroscopic gross type in EGC (A) and in AGC (B). EGC = early gastric cancer; AGC = advanced gastric cancer.

Fig. 3

TNM stage according to age (A) and sex (B). TNM stage distributions were independent of age and sex.