Long-Term Result of Adjuvant Chemotherapy following Gastrectomy for Cancer of the Stomach

From January 1, 1967 through December 31, 1973, in a total of176 cases of gastric resection (103 of curative resection and73 of noncurative resection), the effects of adjuvant chemotherapywere studied retrospectively for every stage of gastric cancerand for the individual anticancer agent used. In the cases of curative gastric resection, the five-year survivalrate was higher in the control group than in the adjuvant chemotherapygroup as a whole. For this reason there were more stage I patientswith a 100% five-year survival rate in the control group thanin the adjuvant chemotherapy group. In stage II patients, anticanceragents did prove to be somewhat effective for adjuvant chemotherapy. Mitomycin C gradually decreased in efficacy with advance inthe stage, 5-fluorouracil had a good effect on patients in stagesI and II but was not effective in stage III, and a combinationof chemotherapeutic agents was effective in stage III and IVpatients. It is clear that when anticancer chemotherapy for the aged isgiven the general condition of the patient should be taken intoserious consideration. In the case of noncurative gastric resection, adjuvant chemotherapyfor a few weeks or months after surgery increased the survivalrate by only two years. In order to give a longer period ofsurvival, long-term cancer chemotherapy is considered essential.