Short communication, Note

Prognostic value of nuclear area in intestinal type of gastric cancer

DRAŽEN KOVAČ ; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
MLADEN JAŠIĆ ; Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital Pula, Pula, Croatia
ESTER PERNJAK PUGEL ; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
HARRY GRBAS ; Department of Surgery, University Hospital Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
BRANKICA MIJANDRUŠIĆ SINČIĆ ; Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia

Abstract

Background and purpose: The incidence of gastric cancer decreases but despite declining, it still remains the second cause of death of all malignancies worldwide. Morphometric methods are independent prognostic variables in various cancers and there have been encouraging results in using it for estimating the prognosis of gastric cancer. Aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of nuclear area (morphometric method), on the survival of patients with intestinal type of gastric cancer.

Materials and methods: Seventy-four patients who had undergone gastric resections for adenocarcinoma of the stomach in the University Hospital Center, Rijeka, Croatia, were analyzed in this study. None had received pre-operative radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Age, gender, tumor size, tumor depth into the stomach wall (T-category) presence or absence of metastases to regional lymph nodes (N-category) or distant organs (M-category)
and nuclear area of tumor cells were estimated. All patients were followed up for at least 36 months or to death.

Results: Univariate analysis showed that gender (P = 0.009), nuclear
area (P = 0.017), TNM (P = 0.001) and size of the tumor (P = 0.024)
have influence on the survival. Patients age at the time of diagnosis showed no influence on the survival in univariate analysis (P = 0.089). In multivariate analysis only TNM (P=0.048) and size of the tumor (P=0.020) are independent prognostic factors for planning further therapy.

Conclusions: According to our results, reliable prognostic factors in patients with intestinal type of gastric cancer are still TNM and size of the tumor; nuclear area showed no influence on the outcome of the disease.

Keywords

Gastric cancer; Morphometric analysis; Nuclear area; Survival

Hrčak ID:

67273

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/67273

Publication date:

31.3.2011.

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