[Examination of 400 cases of early gastric cancer--appropriate operation in view of follow-up observations].

: Four hundred surgical cases of early gastric cancer in the Department of Surgery, National Tochigi Hospital, during these 15 years were reviewed to examine the influence of histopathological features and the degree of lymph node involvement on their prognosis. Although a decreasing trend of the accumulated survival rate was observed in Ro cases which died due of other diseases were frequently encountered as compared to more than R1 cases with regard to the degree of lymph node dissection no significant difference was found among various operative modes dissection. No significant difference was also observed macroscopic absolute and relative dissection. Recently, we have adopted R0 for cancer and R1 for Group 1 lymph node involvement in sm cancer. The great omentum, lesser omentum and cecal pouch are preserved as a rule. In the cases of N(+), dissection of affected lymph nodes including No. 7, 8 and 9 should be performed because of high incidence of metastasis. We conclude these surgical policies are appropriate against early gastric cancers because of good prognosis and no serious postoperative complications.