The Effect of Extended Lymph Node Dissection in Patients with Gastric Cancer from Two Aspects, Quality of Life and Postoperative Survival Rate

Youichi Kitamura, Hiroyoshi Suzuki, Tsuyoshi Sasagawa, Hidetoshi Oguma, Akihiko Endou, Naoki Ishizuka

The Institute of Gastroenterology Tokyo Women's Medical College

We studied extensive lymph no9de dissection (D4) in patients with gastric cancer from two aspects, quality of life (QOL) and postoperative survival rate. The subjects were 2 592 patients with single incipient gastric cancer, which we experienced in the period from 1981 to 1990 . Better survival rates were obtained in stages II and III with D4 than with standard lymph node dissection (D2). QOL was studied over 3 years in 25 D4 patients and 25 D2 patients with no relapses, and no difference was found between the two groups. D4 should be theoperative method of choice in stage II and III of gastric cancer.

Key words
lymph node dissection, pestoperative survival rates by degree of lymph node dissection, changes in postoperative physical status

Reprint requests
Youichi Kitamura The Institute of Gastroenterology, Tokyo Women's Medical College
8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162 JAPAN

Accepted
December 7, 1994

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