Prognosis of proximal upper-third gastric cancer excluding tumors originating in the esophagogastric junction

Abstract

The frequency of gastric cancer detected in the proximal upper-third of the stomach has increased in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres [1,2]. Existing evidence suggests that the anatomical location of stomach tumors may influence the recurrence of gastric cancer after treatment. Currently, cancer originating in the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) and the cardia exhibit different lymphatic drainage than distal gastric cancer [3], leading to worse prognoses compared to tumors located in other areas of the stomach [4,5]. Excepting tumors of EGJ origin, the prognosis of gastric cancer detected in the proximal upper-third of the stomach has not been established. Several studies have investigated primary tumor location and association with gastric cancer prognosis. The results of these prior studies have been contradictory, however, with some reporting a poorer prognosis in patients with a tumor in the proximal upper-third of the stomach compared with that in the distal region [6,7], whereas other studies have indicated no relationship between prognosis and the longitudinal location of the tumor in the stomach [8]. To date, no studies have reported a definitive prognosis of proximal upper-third gastric cancer excepting cancer of the EGJ. Accordingly, the focus of the current study was on the prognosis and clinicopathological outcomes of adenocarcinoma of the proxOriginal Article Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology 2019;15:93-99 https://doi.org/10.14216/kjco.19017 pISSN 1738-8082 ∙ eISSN 2288-4084