OBJECTIVETo investigate the outcomes after combined organ radical resection for the recurrent gastric cancer.

METHODSComplete clinicopathological data of 48 recurrent gastric cancer patients who received radical resection before and underwent reoperation again in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2008 to December 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Of 48 patients, 32 received combined organ radical resection(radical group) and 16 received combined organ palliative gastric stump resection (palliative group).

RESULTSIn the radical group, one case(3.1%,1/32) died 5 days after operation due to hepatorenal syndrome and 9 had postoperative complications (28.1%,9/32), including external intestinal fistula, pancreatic fistula, biliary fistula and anastomotic bleeding. In the palliative group, only one patient(6.2%, 1/16) had postoperative pneumonia and partial intestinal obstruction, with lower complication morbidity as compared to the radical group(P<0.05). The median survival time was significantly longer in the radical group(36.0 vs. 11.5 months, P<0.01). The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 93.1%, 72.4% in the radical group, and 31.3%, 18.8% in palliative group, whose differences were statistically significant. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that clinical stage (HR:3.106, 95% CI:1.357-6.321, P=0.008), peritoneal metastasis (HR:10.167, 95% CI:3.230-35.234, P=0.000) and radical cure situation(HR:3.256, 95% CI:1.267-9.389, P=0.009) were independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONThe combined organ radical resection can provide better survival for recurrent gastric cancer patients, while the indications should be controlled strictly with preoperative multidisciplinary assessment and precise surgical judgment in order to decrease the complication.