Factors predictive of recurrence after surgery for gastric cancer followed by adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Adjuvant Chemotherapy Trial of TS-1 for Gastric Cancer (ACTS-GC) demonstrated that S-1(TS-1, an oral fluoropyrimidine) was effective as adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with pathological stage II or III gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy. The objective of this study was to clarify the risk factors for recurrence in patients who received S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the factors predicting recurrence in 77 patients with stage II or III gastric cancer who received S-1 chemotherapy following R0 gastrectomy between April 2003 and October 2008. RESULTS: The tumor diameter, macroscopic appearance, and presence of lymph node metastasis were significant factors predictive of recurrence identified by the univariate analysis. Moreover, the tumor diameter was an independent risk factor identified by the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to establish a chemotherapeutic regimen for patients with stage II/III gastric cancers with large tumor diameter.