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Do Perioperative Blood Transfusions Influence Prognosis of Gastric Cancer Patients? Analysis of 927 Patients and Interactions with Splenectomy

  • Gastrointestinal Oncology
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

This study was to assess the influence of perioperative blood transfusions on the prognosis of patients undergoing a potentially curative resection for gastric cancer and to investigate the interaction between transfusions and splenectomy.

Materials and Methods

Between January 1990 and December 2005, 927 patients from 6 Italian tertiary referral centers underwent curative resections for gastric cancer. Clinical and pathologic variables were prospectively collected. The influence of perioperative blood transfusions on survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Moreover, the influence of splenectomy both in transfused and nontransfused patients undergoing total gastrectomy was also evaluated.

Results

The overall 5-year survival was 54.6%. The 5-year survival rate in transfused patients (n = 327) was 50.6% compared with 56.6% in nontransfused patients (n = 600) (P = .094). In the subgroup of patients who underwent total gastrectomy with spleen preservation (n = 209), 5-year survival rate was 46% and 51.4% in transfused and nontransfused patients, respectively (P = .418); those who underwent total gastrectomy with splenectomy (n = 199) presented a 5-year survival rate of 45% in transfused group compared with 39.1% in nontransfused patients (P = .571).

Conclusions

Our study indicates a slightly, but not significantly, negative effect of allogeneic blood transfusion on prognosis of gastric cancer patients. In the subgroup of patients who underwent total gastrectomy, splenectomy seems to invert this mild effect, with a positive influence on overall survival.

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Acknowledgment

Prof. Fabio Pacelli had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Digestive Surgery, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Fabio Pacelli MD, Fausto Rosa MD, Maurizio Bossola MD & Giovanni Battista Doglietto MD

  2. Institute of Surgical Sciences, University of Siena, Seina, Italy

    Daniele Marrelli MD, Corrado Pedrazzani MD & Franco Roviello MD

  3. 1st General Surgery, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Marco Zoccali MD & Domenico D’Ugo MD

  4. Clinica Chirurgica Generale 2, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Alberto Marchet MD & Donato Nitti MD

  5. 1st Division of Surgery, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Mariantonietta Di Cosmo MD

  6. Servizio Trasfusionale, Borgo Trento Hospital, Verona, Italy

    Claudia Roata MD

  7. Section of General and Emergency Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    Luigina Graziosi MD & Emanuel Cavazzoni MD

  8. Department of Emergency Medicine, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Marcello Covino MD

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  1. Fabio Pacelli MD
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  2. Fausto Rosa MD
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  3. Daniele Marrelli MD
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  5. Maurizio Bossola MD
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  16. Giovanni Battista Doglietto MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabio Pacelli MD.

Additional information

This study is conducted on behalf of the Italian Research Group for Gastric Cancer—IRGGC.

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Pacelli, F., Rosa, F., Marrelli, D. et al. Do Perioperative Blood Transfusions Influence Prognosis of Gastric Cancer Patients? Analysis of 927 Patients and Interactions with Splenectomy. Ann Surg Oncol 18, 1615–1623 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-010-1543-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-010-1543-9

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