The impact of the rising proportion of proximal tumours on the surgical management of gastric cancer: A 10 year clinical review

This study reviews 10 years of gastric cancer surgery in one centre, to assess the impact of the rising proportion of proximal tumours on surgical workload. Of a total 135 cases, 98 (73%) were resectable. The significant findings were that patients with proximal tumours comprised a younger age group, were more likely to present with dysphagia but not weight loss, were more likely to suffer severe post-operative respiratory complications and had much worse longterm survival prospects. These findings suggest that the workload of upper gastrointestinal surgeons is Likely to increase.