Clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer in young European adults

Background: The aims of this study were to define the clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer in young European adults. Methods: Between 1990 and 2004, 603 patients with gastric cancer were enrolled in a prospective database. The findings for 51 (8.5 per cent) patients aged 45 years or less were compared with those of 457 aged between 46 and 75 years. Results: In the younger group there were significantly more women (57 versus 36.3 per cent; P=0.004), Lauren diffuse-type carcinomas (73 versus 42.7 percent; P<0.001), N2-3 lymph node metastases (59 versus 38.9 per cent; P=0.005), stage IV disease (49 versus 35.7 per cent; P=0.085) and resections that were non-curative (36 versus 18.5 per cent; P=0.007) than in the older patients. Actuarial survival rates in younger patients at 5 and 10 years after resection were 40 and 32 per cent respectively, similar to those in older patients (P=0.540). Unfavourable prognostic factors associated with poor 5-year survival were the degree of gastric wall invasion (T3-4 versus T1-2; P<0.001), lymph node invasion (positive versus negative; P<0.001), disease stage (III-IV versus I-II; P<0.001) and curability of resection (non-curative versus curative; P<0.001). Conclusion: Gastric cancer in young adults tends to be more advanced; however, when matched for stage, the prognosis does not differ from that of older patients.