Gastric Cancer Subsites and Outcome Variations-Long-Term Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre in North India.

Overview

Gastric cancer remains one of the most common cancers in the world. While there is an overall decrease in incidence, there has been a rise in proximal gastric cancers. This article reviews the subsite-specific epidemiology, treatment patterns, pathology, and survival outcomes of gastric cancer. A retrospective analysis of the data of 372 patients was done from a prospectively maintained computerized database from 1994 to 2022. Out of them, a total of 199 patients underwent curative resection. Based on the position of the tumour, gastric cancer was classified into proximal gastric cancer, cancer of the body of stomach, and distal gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is more common in males. Anorexia and weight loss were the most common symptoms. GOO seen in 21.9% patients of distal gastric cancers. Distal cancers remain the most common subtype in India. Most patients (90.4%) presented with T2 and T3 stage. Node positivity was most commonly seen with distal gastric cancers (67%). Highest recurrence rate was seen with cancers of the body. Proximal cancers showed the highest median OS (68 months). Distal gastric cancers at our centre commonly present at advanced stages with poor outcomes, while proximal cancers exhibit aggressive pathology and higher recurrence rates. Peritoneal and liver recurrences highlight the need for early detection and tailored treatments.