Five year survival following radical surgery for cancer stomach and oesophagus.

All 50 patients with gastric and oesophageal cancer referred to the present author between 1979 and 1982 were operated on. Resection was performed on 35 patients (70%) and of these, resection was complete and represented an attempt at cure in 25 patients (50%). In these 25 patients, one died in the immediate postoperative period and 5 patients had incomplete follow-up. Of the 19 patients who survived the operation and had a complete follow-up, 12 have died within 5 years, 3 from causes unrelated to the original malignant disease. Seven patients (5 with gastric cancer and 2 with oesophageal cancer) are alive and free of malignant disease 5-7 years after surgery. Five of these patients had no lymph node metastasis in the resected specimen but the other two patients had lymph node metastasis. Apart from the stage of disease which is the most important prognostic factor, radical surgery can achieve a high rate of complete surgical excision with an acceptable operative mortality and morbidity and appears to improve the prospects of long term survival in gastric and oesophageal cancer.