From June 1972 to December 1986, 1108 patients with gastric cancer were treated in our hospital. Of them, 113 received non-operative therapy, 995 were operated and 803 had resectable tumors with a resection rate of 80.4%. 1042 patients were followed with a follow-up rate of 94.0%. The 1, 3 and 5 year survival rates were 81.4% (638/783), 42.3% (280/662) and 30.0% (159/529), respectively. According to our data, R2 or selective R3 procedure may be used as standard for advanced gastric carcinoma. For the stage IV patients whose tumors were not radically resected, palliative gastrectomy should be undertaken, if possible. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can improve survival rates in patients with stages III and IV lesions.