Determination of treatment effect on survival of gastric cancer patients under surgery and chemotherapy

Surgery is the most important treatment in gastric cancer (GC) patients and also chemotherapy and radiotherapy are used as adjuvant and/or neo-adjuvant therapies for reducing locally relapse and metastasis. This study aimed to compare patient's survival and affected factors in this two treatment groups. This historical cohort study was conducted on 181 patients underwent chemotherapy (group 1) and 201 patients underwent surgery (group 2). The effect of demographic, clinical and pathological risk factors on patient's survival was assessed by log-rank test and Cox Proportional Hazard (CPH) model. Data were analyzed using SPSS16. Fifty and six patients (30.6%) in surgery group and 69 patients (34.3%) in chemotherapy group passed atoay death by the end of the study. The median survival time in two groups was 19 and 28 months, respectively. Age at diagnosis and tumor grade in surgery group, and gender and pathologic stage in chemotherapy group were significant (p<0.05). Demographic and pathological characteristics of patients are the significant determinant of treatment success and increasing survival, however, assessing the causal effect of treatments on survival will be well achieved via controlled clinical trials through which the effects of confounders can be controlled.