Is 'second look surgery' justified in suspected recurrences of cancer of the stomach?

A series of 23 patients with suspected recurrent disease following 'curative' resection for gastric carcinoma was submitted to further laparotomy (24 operations). Three patients were found to have hopeless dissemination, 10 had palliative procedures performed which relieved their dysphagia, vomiting and jaundice, 4 had recurrences resected and 1 had a second primary of the gastric stump excised. No less than 6 were found to have benign lesions. Although the reward as far as prolonged survival is small, we believe that the relief of symptoms and the occasional long term excellent result justifies judicious use of a 'second look' laparotomy for suspected recurrent disease.