The outcome of patients with gastric cancer is influenced by many factors, which are medically known as prognostic factors, that is, factors that can have an impact on patient outcome. Prognostic factors are predictive of future outcomes of the disease.
According to a larger study in China [1], factors that influence the final outcome of patients with gastric cancer in China include age, tumor site, tumor size, Lauren’s staging (i.e., staging based on cell morphology observed under the microscope, including intestinal, diffuse, and mixed types), T staging, N staging, M staging, and the number of lymph nodes sent for examination. Specifically, patients with the following gastric cancers had relatively poor outcomes: no younger than 60 years of age, tumor located in the gastric body, cardia, or whole stomach (compared with tumors in the sinus region), tumor no smaller than 4.5 cm, Lauren staging of diffuse type, T staging of T2 to T4b, N staging of N1 to N3b, M staging of M1 type (ie, presence of distant metastases), and lymph node pickup of no fewer than 15.
Of course, there are variations in the statistics from one medical center to another. According to available clinical data, T-stage, N-stage, M-stage, Lauren’s staging, tumor site, tumor size, and number of lymph nodes recovered are the more recognized factors associated with gastric cancer outcomes [2][3][4]. In addition, numerous clinical trials have shown that postoperative receipt of adjuvant therapy, preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, and perioperative treatment also have an impact on gastric cancer outcomes [5][6][7][8].
Overall, the most critical factor affecting the outcome of gastric cancer remains the TNM stage, although other clinicopathological factors and adjuvant therapy may also have an impact on the outcome. (Coauthored by Pengliang Wang, Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University)