Population-based analysis of multimodality treatment of gastric cancer.
124 Background: Limited data is available for the role of multimodality management for gastric adenocarcinoma and its outcome in the community. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes for 341 patients (pts) who were diagnosed with gastric cancer in a community-based health-care system, including 9 hospitals, from 2000 to 2009. Results: 148/341 pts had undergone surgery and were included in the analysis. Median age at diagnosis was 68 year (range: 32-96), 56% were male, 55% were Caucasian and 25% were black. The stage distribution was as follows: 27% (40 pts) localized, 61% (90 pts) locally advanced and 12% (18 pts) with distant metastasis. 98 pts (66%) received surgery alone, 22 pts (15%) received perioperative chemotherapy, and 28 pts (19%) received perioperative chemo-radiation. After a median follow-up time of 5.2 yrs, the median OS for the entire group was 1.9 years, and 88 deaths had occurred at the last follow up. By stage, the median OS was 7 yrs, 2.3 yrs, and 0.3 yrs for localized stage, regional stage, and metastatic disease, respectively. The 5-yr survival was significantly better in pts who received perioperative chemo-radiation (68%), compared to those who received with surgery alone (33%) or perioperative chemotherapy (0%) (p=0.002). The 5-yr survivals by stage and treatment are shown in the table. Conclusions: Perioperative chemo-radiation was associated with a significantly better OS compared to surgery alone. Trimodality therapy for gastric cancer appears to be underutilized in the community setting described here. The survival advantage of surgery plus chemoradiation compared to surgery plus chemotherapy remains controversial and should be investigated in clinical trials. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.