The Effect of Perioperative Blood Transfusions on Survival in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Keisuke Kanemitsu, Kiyoshi Sawai, Shinji Okano, Kosuke Seiki, Hiroki Taniguchi, Toshiharu Yamaguchi, Toshio Takahashi

The First Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine

The authors reviewed the records of 422 consecutive gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy from 1983 through 1988. Of these, 226 patients (53.5%) did not receive perioperative transfusions. 105 patients (24.9%) received perioperative transfusions of less than 1000 ml and 91 patients (21.6%) received perioperative transfusions of 1000 ml or more. The cumulative 5-year survival rates were 80.5%, 46.4% and 32.6%, respectively. The differences between the groups were statistically significant. However, these patients with advanced age, nodal involvement, serosal invasion, progressive stage and total gastrectomy were more likely to have received a greater volume of blood. The 5-year survival rate for stage 2 and 4 patients not given transfusions was significantly higher than that for patients receiving transfusions, but no differences were found for stage 1 and 3. A negative relationship between perioperative blood transfusion and survival was demonstrated with stage 2 and 4 of gastric cancer.

Key words
blood transfusion, the effect of perioperative blood transfusions, survival of patients with gastric cancer

Reprint requests
Keisuke Kanemitsu The First Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine
Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602 JAPAN

Accepted
April 17, 1991

To read the PDF file you will need Abobe Reader installed on your computer.