Family History of Gastric Cancer Associated with Improved Survival in Patients with Advanced Cancer

March 2012, Vol 3, No 2

Family History of Gastric Cancer Associated with Improved survival in Patients with Advanced Cancer Family history of gastric cancer increases the risk for the disease and its recurrence. Different studies provided conflicting evidence regarding the impact of family history of the disease on the chance for survival after gastrectomy. A new study has now investigated the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer who have a family history of the disease and have undergone gastrectomy (Han MA, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30:701-708).

This retrospective review included 1273 patients with gastric cancer who had undergone gastrectomy between 2001 and 2005 and had a first- or second-degree relative with a family history of the disease. Patients were followed up through 2009 for death or recurrence. A total of 263 patients (20.6%) had first-degree relatives with a history of gastric cancer. Firstdegree family history of gastric cancer was associated with significant improvements in disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) (P = .012, .006, and .005, respectively) compared with those without family history of the disease. In patients with stage III or IV gastric cancer, firstdegree family history was associated with a significant risk reduction of recurrence or mortality and significant improvements in DFS, RFS, and OS. However, family history did not improve the prognosis of patients with stage I or II disease.

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