Surgical Treatment of Gastric Cancer Cases in a Rural Area / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

During the twelve years from January 1978 to December 1989, a total of 1, 409 cases of gastric cancer were treated in the surgical department of Tsuchiura Kyodo Hospital, located in the southern agricultural district of Ibaraki Prefecture.<BR>Observations on these cases revealed 1) Cases of gastric cancer tend to decrease, 2) Results of surgical treatment are improving remarkably, in terms of the resection rate and five-year survival rate, and 3) Most of the patients who survived more than five years after surgery are in satisfactory conditions.<BR>The main factor contributing to the improvement of the results of surgical treatment of gastric cancer was increased detections of cancer in relatively early stages through mass survey or total check-up in the asymptomatic stage.<BR>The decline of the morbidity rate of gastric cancer is reported to be more prominent in younger generations. This fact and the aging of the population in our society, especially in rural areas, will increase the number of elderly gastric cancer patients.<BR>The future of surgery of gastric cancer depends on how early we can detect cancer and treat elderly patients. For this purpose, mass survey and total check-up on older people will be the most effective means.