Personal experience in the surgical management of carcinoma of the stomach

Abstract
A consecutive series of 226 cases of carcinoma of the stomach has been studied. The policy of treatment has been consistent throughout and laparotomy was performed in 96.5 per cent of cases. The follow-up has been studied with regard to duration of symptoms, location and degree of spread of the tumour and different forms of operative treatment. Although Billroth I gastrectomy gave a 32 per cent 5-year survival rate for the less advanced tumours the overall survival remains, as in other series, depressingly low (8.5 per cent). Education of the public to present early would not appear to help the situation as survival was directly proportional to the duration of symptoms.