[Cancer of the gastric antrum. What can be expected from the systematic enlargement of the excision? Retrospective study of 73 cases].

The results of 73 consecutive curative resections for adenocarcinoma of the gastric antrum (37 distal subtotal gastrectomies and 36 electively extended total gastrectomies) are presented. The location and size of the tumour and the degree of lymph node involvement were similar in both groups (excluding superficial carcinomas), but the patients with subtotal gastrectomy were significantly older than the others (mean age : 70.5 and 59 years respectively). The operative mortality rate was 13.6% in each group, but the post-operative hospital stay was longer for total gastrectomy patients. The five-year survival rate overall (including operative deaths) was 44.3%. There was no difference in survival rate between the two types of operation (49.7% for subtotal, and 45.6% for total gastrectomy, operative deaths excluded). Survival was related to the degree of parietal spread and nodal involvement. These results are in favour of subtotal gastrectomy for antral adenocarcinoma.