Abstract

A retrospective study of 797 cases of early gastric cancer(EGC) operated from 1981 to 199l at Seoul National University Hospital was performed to evaluate its prognostic factors for 9 clinicopathologic factors(sex, age, tumor location, gross type, histology, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, resection type). The incidence of EGC in gastric cancer was 20.l% and overall 5 year survival rate was 93%. In univariate and multivariate analysis af the above mentioned 9 factors, stastically significant prognostic factor was only regional lymph node metastasis(P<0.05). In addition, signet ring cell carcinoma was more prevalent in EGC(2.9 times) than in AGC and had a good prognosis than other histalogic type. In conclusion, extensive lymphadenectomy(R2 or R2+a) is needed only in AGC but also in EGC. And more extensive study on the prognostic factors of the signet ring cell carcinoma that has been considered as a poor prognostic type is further necessory to clarify the good effect in EGC and bad effect in AGC.

• Keywords: Early gastric cancer, Prognostic factor, Signet ring cell