Clinicopathologic Comparison of the Young and the Old in the Patients with Gastric Cancer

Min, Shin Nam; Kim, Hyung Rok; Kim, Dong Yi; Kim, Young Jin; Kim, Shin Kon

Abstract

PURPOSE
Gastric cancer is considered to be a disease of the middle aged and elderly, but there was increased interest in clinicopathologic features of both the young aged and the old aged gastric cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In an attempt to compare the young below 35 years old with the old over 70 years old about the clinicopathologic characteristics, we reviewed 110 young patients and 146 old patients who were experienced at the Department of Surgery, Chonnam University Hospital from July 1982 to June 1997. We have analyzed the age, sex ratio, location, size, number of the cancer, Borrmanns classification, histologic classification, stage of the cancer, DNA ploidy, curative resectibility, 5 year survival rate in both groups. Comparisons of outcomes between groups were done using z(2) analysis. P value of <.05 was considered significant. A statistical test of the survival rates was made with the Z test and Kaplan-Meier method. Other statistics were analyzed by the log-rank method. RESULT: In the old, the incidence af the gastric cancer was higher in man than in woman(2.24: 1). In the young, the male to female sex ratio was 1: 1.16. The antrum was the most common site of gastric cancer in both groups. The cardia was more frequently involved in the young than the old(17.3%:7.5%). In the histologic classification, tubular adenocarcinoma was the most common in both groups. The young had 17.3% of incidence of signet ring cell carcinoma, but 2.7% in the old. The incidence of the early gastric cancer was 20.0% in the young and 17.8% in the old, which was not significantly different. The incidence of Borrmann type III was predominant in both groups. In Borrmann type IV, the young was revealed 18.0%, the old was revealed 8.2%, but there was no significant difference statistically. There were no significant differences in the stage and 5-years survival rate of the gastric cancer in both groups.
CONCLUSION
This study showed the differences between the young and the old in the sex ratio, location, histological types of the gastric cancer. It meaned that there were some differences between the both groups in the etiology of gastric cancer, development and progression patterns.