OBJECTIVETo investigate the features of clinicopathology and prognosis in young gastric cancer patients.

METHODSClinicopathological data of 90 young gastric cancer patients (≤40 years old) who received radical gastrectomy in the Department of General Surgery of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from January 2013 to December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Survival data were obtained by follow-up and the last follow-up time was October 2016. Log-rank test and Cox regression model were used to analyze the risk factors of prognosis and these factors included gender, age, tumor size, degree of differentiation, histological type, Lauren pattern, T stage, N stage, vessel carcinoma embolus, clinical symptom, anemic condition, CA19-9 level, et al.

RESULTSThe median age of 90 patients was 35 years old, of whom, 20(22.2%) patients were ≤30 years old and 70(77.8%) patients were between 31 and 40 years old. There were 70(77.8%) female patients, 38(42.2%) patients with anemia, 11(12.8%) patients with elevated CA19-9 level and 9(10.0%) patients with family history of gastrointestinal tumors. The mean time of all the patients from presence of symptom to consultation was 8.2 months. Postoperative pathology revealed 65(72.2%) patients with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, 6(6.7%) patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma, 9(10%) patients with signet-ring cell carcinoma, and 10(11.1%) patients with papillary-canalicular adencarcinoma. Sixty-nine (76.7%) patients were diagnosed as advanced gastric cancer and 67(74.4%) patients were involved with lymphatic metastasis when they visited our hospital. Univariate analysis showed that gender (P=0.021), tumor size (P=0.001), depth of tumor infiltration (P=0.016), lymphatic metastasis (P=0.000), vessel carcinoma embolus (P=0.001), elevated CA19-9 level (P=0.001), and anemia (0.024) were statistically related with postoperative survival. Multivariate analysis showed that lymphatic metastasis was an independent risk factor of the poor prognosis of young patients (HR:2.774, 95%CI:1.435 to 5.364, P=0.002).

CONCLUSIONSThe majority of young gastric cancer cases are female with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Most patients are diagnosed as advanced gastric cancer with lymphatic metastasis when they visit hospital at the first time. The lymphatic metastasis is an independent risk factor of prognosis in young gastric cancer patients.