Objective: To evaluate the outcomes after pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) for early gastric cancer(EGC).
Methods: Clinicopathologic data of 52 patients with EGC undergoing PPG between August 1995 and December 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 159 patients of EGC who underwent distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection(control group) were compared with those who received PPG.
Results: The lymph node metastasis rate of EGC was 9.6% in PPG group, including 9.6% in No.3, 3.9% in No.4, 3.9% in No.6, and 3.9% in No.7. In the control group, the lymph node metastasis rate was 17.0%, including N1(14.5%) and N2(2.5%). There were no significant differences between the PPG group and the control group (P>0.05). In the PPG group, D1 dissection was 25%, D1+α was 25%, D1+β was 34.6%, and D2 was 15.3%. In control group, 121 patients(76.1%) had less than D2 dissection, while there were 33(20.7%) D2, and 5(3.1%) D3, and the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in overall 5-year survival rate(92.3% vs. 93.1%, P=0.881). The 5-year survival rate in the PPG group was 100% for D1, 92.3% for D1+α, 88.9% for D1+β, and 85.7% for D2, while the 5-year survival rate in the control group was 92.3% for D1, 93.3% for D1+α, 91.7% for D1+β, and 93.9% for D2. The difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05). The recurrence rate was comparable (5.7% vs. 5.6%, P>0.05).
Conclusion: Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy may provide long-term survival benefits for patients with early gastric cancer.