Abstract
From 1961 through 1976, when we had performed reduced operations or extended operations on 300 patients with early gastric cancer, we found little difference between the 5-year survival rate and the 10-year survival rate (97.1%: 97.7%, 94.8%: 96.2% respectively). The reduced operation means radical gastrectomy with dissection of Group 1 and No.7 lymph nodes (R1 + No.7). Therefore, we have been prospectively performing reduced operations for early gastric cancers from 1976 of the present time, and have arrived for the present at the following conclusions: 1) When we can diagnose intramucosal (m) cancer preoperatively, and can detect Stage 1 (S0P0H0N0) and not touch the induration with the hand intraoperatively, we consider that the reduced operation is suitable. 2) Of prospectively operated 116 patients, six had cancer involvement in group 1 lymph nodes (n1 (+)), but no cancer involvement in group 2 lymph nodes (n2 (-)). All patients had curative resections. Up to the present, there has been no recurrence or death among patients. Therefore, we consider that it is good to perform the reduced operation on these patients cases, in other words it is a reasonable operation.
