• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 2002

Purpose: We compared the quality of life (QOL) and nutritional outcomes following both Billroth I (BI) and Billroth II (BII) reconstructions after a subtotal gastrectomy in order to identify which reconstruction would produce a better QOL and nutritional outcomes and to provide better follow-up management. Materials and Methods: We studied 273 patients without evidence of recurrent disease following a curative distal subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Among them, 135 underwent a BI reconstruction and 138 a BII reconstruction. The nutritional status was assessed by using levels of hemoglobin, serum albumin, iron, and vitamin B12 and by calculating the relative body weight, the body mass index, and the percentage of body fat. The QOL was measured by using the Troidl score and by treatment-specific symptoms based on the criteria, somewhat modified by the authors, of Korenaga and others. Results: There was no significant difference in QOL between the BI and the BII groups. More than half of the patients revealed anemia, regardless of the type of reconstruction. The serum vitamin $B_{12}$ level of the BII group was lower than that of the BI group. The BII group showed a tendency toward lower hemoglobin levels and serum iron concentrations than the BI group did. Conclusions: The quality of life was not impaired in most patients after either a BI or a BII reconstruction. However, both resulted in iron deficiency anemia, although the incidence was higher after a BII reconstruction. The patient's serum iron and vitamin B12 should be measured periodically and these must be administered if the measurements reveal a below normal range.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.193-199
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• 2007

Purpose: Combined resection of an invaded organ in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) with infiltration of adjacent organs is essential to achieve R0 resection. However, when the tumor invades the head of the pancreas or duodenum, R0 resection interferes with the lower resectability and results in a higher morbidity. Wereviewed these cases retrospectively and considered the proper extent of the surgical resection. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed cases where patients underwent surgery for gastric adenocarcinoma at the Department of Surgery, Presbyterian Medical Center, between January 1998 and December 2003. Among the 45 patients who were suspected to have pancreatic head or duodenum invasion by a primary tumor or metastatic lymph nodes based on the operative findings, we included 22 patients without incurable factors. The patients were classified into three groups: 4 patients that underwent a combined resection (PD group), 12 patients that underwent a palliative subtotal gastrectomy (STG group) and 6 patients that underwent bypass surgery only (GJ group). We analyzed the clinicopathological features, operative data and results. Results: The patients of the PD group achieved R0 resection by PD with D3 Dissection in all Patients. A pancreatic fistula was observed in one patient (morbidity 25%). There was no surgery-associated mortality (mortality 0%). All patients of the PD group were in stage IV. However, the 2-year survival rate (SR) was 75% and the 5-year SR was 50%. Six patients of the STG group underwent surgery with marginal resection and the other six patients of the STG group had a positive distal resection margin. The 2-year SR was 41.7% and the 5-year SR was 16.7%. Most of the patients of group GJ were of old age (mean age: $72.7{\pm}8.6$ years) or had chronic diseases. The 2-year SR was 0%. Conclusion: Combined resection of the pancreas and duodenum in AGC with pancreatic head invasion is relatively safe with moderate morbidity and a lower mortality. One can expect long-term survival if combined resectionis performed in cases without incurable factors.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2005

A hepatoid adenocarcinoma of stomach, a subtype of gastric cancr, is characterized by a histologic resemblance to a hepatocellular carcinoma and $\alpha$-feto protein production. Another feature is early metastasis to the liver and lymph nodes, thus revealing a poor prognosis. We report a case of a hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach with liver metastasis. A 52-year-old male visited our hospital with a chief complaint of indigestion. Gastroscopic examination showed a Borrmann type-II lesion on the lesser curvature of the antrum. The CT scan showed a suspected advanced gastric cancer with liver metastasis. The serum AFP level was 123 ng/ml. A radical subtotal gastrectomy and a right hemihepatectomy were performed simultaneously. Pathologic examination confirmed the lesion to be confined to the submucosa. The gastric lesion was a hepatoid adenocarcinoma, and the hepatic lesion was a metastatic adenocarcinoma from the stomach. Therefore, he was classified as having stage IV (T1N1M1) gastric cancer. In cases of a hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach, even patients with early gastric cancer can be staged into the poor prognostic group.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.4 s.20
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• pp.295-303
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• 2005

The Korean laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery Study Group made a survey of laparoscopic gastric surgeries which were performed in Korea during 2004. Thirty-eight surgeons from 36 Institutions responded to the questionnaires. One thousand eighty-nine laparoscopic gastric operations were performed during 2004. The cumulative number from 1995 to 2004 was about 2,386. Seven hundred fifty-four operations for a gastric adenocarcinoma were performed during 2004 which is almost two times the number performed during 2003. Laparoscopic radical procedures, such as a laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy or total gastrectomy (LADG and LATG) have increased rapidly since 2001 (55 cases in 2001, 150 cases in 2002, 364 cases in 2003 and 738 cases in 2004). Especially, laparoscopic total gastrectomies were explosively adopted last year (20 cases in 2003 and 112 cases in 2004). However, laparoscopic function-preserving gastrectomies, which included one laparoscopy-assisted pylorus-preserving gastrectomy and laparoscopy-assisted proximal gastrectomy, are rarely performed at this time. One hundred forty-two wedge resections for a gastric submucosal tumor were performed during 2004. Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) was performed in 39 cases in 2001, 55 in 2002, and 49 in 2003; however, only 5 such surgeries were performed during 2004. In 2003, laparoscopic bariatric surgery began, and during 2004, 49 operations were performed. In terms of indications of laparoscopic gastric surgery for adenocarcinoma, 19 surgeons performed a LADG only for a T1 lesion, and 7 surgeons extended their indications to T2N0 lesions. In the near future, laparoscopic procedures for gastric cancer will be widely adopted in Korea if the medical-insurance obstacle is overcome, and the long-term survival results are verified.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2008

The majority of choriocarcinomas occur in the uterus as gestational malignant tumors. Rarely, a choriocarcinoma appears in the gastrointestinal tract, and the tumor is assumed to arise from a different histogenetic origin as compared to tumors of other sites. A primary gastric choriocarcinoma is a rare aggressive, widely metastatic malignant tumor, and has a poor prognosis. Reported here is a case of a 69-year-old woman with a primary gastric choriocarcinoma who presented with melena, epigastric pain, and was diagnosed with a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma based on a preoperative endoscopic biopsy. Gastrectomy with lymph node dissection, followed by postoperative chemotherapy, is the treatment of choice. Therefore, in the case of a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a bleeding tendency, a meticulous examination with the suspicion of a choriocarcinoma should be undertaken.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.136-140
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• 2008

Purpose: Stage IV early gastric carcinoma (EGC) is a rare disease. We report here on 10 cases of EGC that showed metastasis in more than 15 lymph nodes. Materials and Methods: A total of 8354 cases of gastric carcinoma in patients who underwent surgical procedures between January 2001 and January 2007 at Samsung Medical Center were studied, and 10 cases were classified as stage IV EGC. We investigated their clinicopathologic characteristics. Results: There were 5 males and 5 females. Their ages at operation ranged from 46 to 76 years with a mean age of 61. All of the 10 patients had undergone curative resection for gastric cancer. The pathological diagnosis confirmed that all of the patients had tumor confined to the submucosa. The median size of the tumors was 5.3cm and the mean number of dissected nodes was 45.5 with a mean number of 22.2 involved nodes. Six cases were classified as the diffuse type and 4 were classified as the intestinal type by Lauren's classification. Histologically, 3 cases were signet ring cell carcinoma, 3 were poorly differentiated, 2 were moderately differentiated and 2 were well differentiated adenocarcinoma. Endolymphatic invasion was found in 9 cases. The median follow-up was 31 months. Adjuvant chemotherapy was done in 9 patients, and the patient who did not receive chemotherapy died by cerebrovascular accident. 2 patient had recurrence of gastric cancer and 7 survived without recurrence. Conclusion: More cases should be collected and further studies on the molecular and cellular tumor characteristics are required to characterize these tumors that show aggressive lymphatic spread.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.256-261
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• 2008

Purpose: Intra-abdominal fluid collection is one of the risk factors associated with postoperative morbidity or mortality for patients who undergo gastric cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients with postoperative intra-abdominal fluid collection and to identify the indications for inserting a percutaneous drain (PCD) in patients with intra-abdominal fluid collection. Materials and Methods: Among the 1,277 patients who underwent operations for gastric cancer at Seoul National University Hospital between April 2005 and July 2006, the data of 117 patients with an intra-abdominal fluid collection were reviewed. Results: The number of patients' with pathologic stage I, II, III and IV disease was 42 (36.8%), 23 (20.2%), 16 (14%) and 33 (28.9%), respectively. Forty-three patients (36.3%) underwent PCD insertion and the other 43 patients received conservative management. A univariate analysis of multiple clinical variables revealed that age, gender, diabetes, liver disease, lymph node dissection, the pathologic stage and the body mass index (BMI, $kg/m^2$) were not significantly associated with PCD insertion (P>0.05). However, the univariate analysis showed that two characteristics were associated with a significantly high incidence of PCD insertion: a diameter of an intra-abdominal fluid collection greater than 4 cm and infectious signs such as leukocytosis, fever and bacteremia. Conclusion: About two thirds of the intra-abdominal fluid collections after surgery for gastric cancer were managed with only conservative method without other morbidities of mortality. Surgeons should consider performing PCD insertion if the largest diameter of an intra-abdominal fluid collection is over 4 cm or if infectious signs are seen.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.277-281
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• 2004

Early gastric cancer (EGC) is defined as a carcinoma confined to the mucosa or submucosa of the stomach, with or without lymph-node metastasis. Synchronous liver metastasis is 5. $12.8\%$ in advanced gastric cancer, but is very low in EGC. A 64-year-old woman was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital with a complaint of epigastric pain. Gastrofiberscopic examination showed a polypoid mass on the gastric antrum. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated an intraluminal polypoid mass in the gastric antrum, but no tumor mass in the liver. A laparotomy revealed a solitary liver metastasis, we performed a distal partial gastrectomy with a group-2 lymph-node dissection and resection of metastatic liver tumor. Histologic examination showed a tubular adenoma with a focal carcinomatous change, Which was confined to the gastric mucosa and to the metastatic adenocarcinoma in the liver. We present a case of early gastric mucosal cancer associated with synchronous liver metastasis, along with a review of the literature.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2008

Purpose: The early detection of gastric cancer and accuracy of preoperative staging has currently been on the increase due to the development of endoscopy and imaging techniques, but there are still many cases of advanced gastric cancer detected at the first diagnosis and there are also many cases of stage IV gastric cancer diagnosed after a postoperative pathological examination. Although the prognosis of stage IV gastric cancer is very poor, this study was performed to determine the value of the use of aggressive treatment determined after a clinical analysis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 150 patients that were diagnosed with stage IV gastric cancer among 1376 patients who underwent a laparotomy for gastric cancer from January 1994 to December 2006. Results: Of the 150 patients with stage IV gastric cancer who underwent a laparotomy, there were 104 men and 46 women. The mean patient age was 57.8 years (age range, 28~93 years). A subtotal gastrectomy or total gastrectomy was performed in 119 patients and 31 patients underwent an explorative laparotomy. The mean survival time of patients that underwent a gastrectomy and patients that did not undergo a gastrectomy was 722 days (range, 14~4,559 days) and 173 days (range, 16~374 days), respectively this result was statistically significant. When patients that underwent a gastrectomy were classified according to the TNM stage, the mean survival time of 33 patients with stage T4 disease was 534 days (range, 17~3,378 days) and the mean survival time of 63 patients with stage N3 disease was 521 days (range, 14~4,190 days), but there was no statistical significance. Chemotherapy was administered to 98 patients and 52 patients did not receive chemotherapy. The mean survival time of patients that received chemotherapy was 792 days (range, 36~4,559 days) and the mean survival time of patients that did not receive chemotherapy was 243 days (range, 14~2,413 days), with statistical significance. Conclusion: If there is no evidence of distant metastasis in stage IV gastric cancer, one can expect improvement of the survival rate by the use of aggressive treatment, including curative gastric resection with radical lymph node dissection and chemotherapy.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.40-44
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• 2010

The natural history of gastric cancer is unclear. We report here on a rare case of advanced gastric cancer for which we performed curative gastrectomy 78 months after the diagnosis. A 74-year-old woman with epigastric pain underwent esophagogastroscopy in January, 2000 and she was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer. Suspicious omental cake was noted on CT. After refusing all kinds of treatment, she underwent a follow up CT scan on September, 2002, which no longer suggested omental cake. She once again refused treatment, but she visited the hospital in June, 2006 due to severe epigastric pain and a decreased oral intake. Abdominal CT showed no distant metastasis, and so radical subtotal gastrectomy with regional lymph node dissection was performed in July, 2006 and the TNM stage was T2bN1M0 (stage II).