OBJECTIVETo evaluate the changing trends in clinicopathological characteristics of patients with gastric carcinoma undergoing surgery between 1979 and 2008.

METHODSTwo thousand seven hundred and fifteen patients with gastric cancer who received operation in Liaocheng People's hospital between 1979 and 2008 were analyzed retrospectively, and were compared to 168 patients between 1974 and 1978. Categorical data were evaluated with Chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. Quantitative data were analyzed with nonparametric test. Time series analysis was used to evaluate the changing trend of data.

RESULTSThe male to female ratio during 1979-2008 was 3.393, which was higher than that (1.897) during 1974-1978 (χ2=12.193, P<0.01). The median age (59 years) during 1979-2008 was higher than that (53.5 years) during 1974-1978 (z=-6.294 P<0.01). Comparing the tumor distribution of gastric cancer during 1979-2008 with that during 1974-1978, proportion of gastric cardia and fundus cancer was higher (45.7% vs. 13.0%, χ2=56.596, P<0.01), while the proportion of gastric antrum cancer was lower (44.9% vs. 73.2%, χ2=53.980, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in gastric body cancer (13.8% vs. 9.4%, χ2=2.026, P=0.155). Compared to 1994-1998, there were more poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas during 2004-2008 (62.1% vs. 51.7%, χ2=12.267, P<0.01), and there were less tubular adenocarcinomas during 2004-2008 (23.9% vs. 31.8%, χ2=8.78, P<0.01). Time series analysis showed the patient age during 1979 to 2008 increased (Root mean square error=1.275, R-square=0.702), gastric cardia and fundus cancer was increasing and antrum cancer was decreasing (Root mean square error=0.055, R-square=0.798).

CONCLUSIONSIn the past 30 years from 1979 to 2008, the male to female ratio and the median age of surgical patients with gastric cancer increased with time. The gastric cardia and fundus cancer increased over time, however antrum cancer decreased with time. In the past 15 years from 1994 to 2008, the proportion of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma increased, and that of tubular adenocarcinoma declined.