Table 1.
Clinicopathological characteristics of patients in three groups
| Group A (n = 16) | Group B (n = 16) | Group C (n = 16) | P | |
| Sex (M/F) | 11/5 | 12/4 | 10/6 | NS |
| Age (yr) | 56.8±13.2 | 57.5±11.7 | 67.5±17.7 | 0.048 |
| Sub-total/total gastrectomy | 11/5 | 10/6 | 10/6 | NS |
| Operation time (min) | 272±60 | 312±69 | 259±43 | NS |
| Blood loss (mL) | 216±106 | 235±92 | 196±137 | NS |
| Meperidine use (mg/d) | 83.3±21.6 | 91.4±31.2 | 79.3±15.9 | NS |
| Primary tumor1 | NS | |||
| pT3 | 14 | 13 | 14 | |
| pT4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| Stage2 | NS | |||
| II | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| IIIa | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
| IIIb | 5 | 6 | 6 | |
| IV | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Gender was assessed by χ2-test, others were assessed by t-test. Significant difference in age (P = 0.048) between group C and groups A and B.
1
T classification according to the Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma (22).
2
Staging classification according to the 1997 TNM staging system. NS: not significant. All patients had received R0 gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection.