An Evaluation of Subclassification of Gastric Carcinoma Invading the Subserosa

Abstract

In an investigation of gastric carcinomas invading the Subserosa (ss cancers), 203 resected cases (ssα 39, ssβ 101 and ssγ 63) were studied to assess the appropriateness of ssγ as one of the main factors of histologic stage II. The survival curve for the patients with ss cancers was between the curves for the patients with pm cancers (invading the muscularis propria, 151 cases) and se cancers (invading the serosal surface, 551 cases). There were significant differences in the postoperative survival curves between pm and ss, ss and se cancers. However, there were no differences in the postoperative survival between ssγ and ssα or ssβ cancers. Prognostic backgrounds of the patients with ssα, β, γ showed no significant differences, and the curative resection rates for the three were similar (ssα 82%, ssβ 86%, ssγ 89%). This study indicates that ssα, β and γ cancers belong to the same rank of histologic stage (stage II) as ss cancers.