Influence of preoperative performance status on survival time of patients with advanced gastric cancer following noncurative resection

The relationship between preoperative performance status (PS) and the survival time of 152 patients with gastric cancer was determined following macroscopic noncurative resection and postoperative chemotherapy. There were no preoperative differences in laboratory data between the patients who led a normal life or those with a fully ambulatory performance status (PS 0 or 1) and those who were often bedridden (PS 2 or 3). Neither was there any difference between the groups with regard to clinicopathological factors. The doses of drugs prescribed were lower for patients with PS 2-3. There was no difference in the occurrence of drug toxicity between the groups. The patients with PS 0-1 had a significantly longer survival time than did those with PS 2-3 (P < 0.05). PS, a factor more easily measured than the stage of disease at the time of admission, correlates with survival time. We interpret our findings to mean that for patients with gastric cancer who are symptom-free or who are ambulatory with symptoms, clinical trials of drugs may prolong survival time.