THE SURGICAL PROBLEM OF GASTRIC CANCER

Abstract

Carcinoma of the stomach constitutes a surgical problem of great importance. The main present difficulty still hinges on the matter of making the diagnosis sufficiently early that the benefits of surgery may be extended consistently to a greater number of patients. The nature of the surgical accomplishment in cases of carcinoma of the stomach has improved considerably in recent years. 1 The formidable operative mortality of earlier years largely is disappearing. The experience of this clinic suggests that subtotal resections for cancer of the stomach can be done with a hospital mortality approaching closely that of gastric resection for benign duodenal and gastric ulcers. Improvement in the end results of the surgical management of carcinoma of the stomach is contingent on a larger proportion of patients coming to operation early enough to insure complete eradication of the disease. In a fairly large number of instances still, as will be indicated