Prognostic role of gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology.

This retrospective study identified the optimal treatment strategy for patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology. We analyzed clinicopathologic and survival data for 54 patients who had undergone gastrectomy and/or chemotherapy for treatment of gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology with (n = 40) or without (n = 14) metastatic disease. The median overall survival did not differ significantly between patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology with and without metastatic disease (19 versus 13 months, respectively). Among 14 clinicopathologic variables, the lack of gastrectomy was the only significant independent unfavorable factor for survival (odds ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-2.57; P = 0.03). The median overall survival significantly differed among patients who had undergone gastrectomy plus chemotherapy, chemotherapy alone, and gastrectomy alone (25, 10, and 17 months, respectively; P < 0.01). Gastrectomy may be optimal for patients with (gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology), considering its favorable prognostic effect with respect to perioperative chemotherapy.