Abstract:
Objective To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and survival prognosis of young female patients with gastric adenocarcinoma.
Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on female patients who underwent radical gastrectomy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University between January 2014 and December 2020, with postoperative pathological confirmation of gastric adenocarcinoma. Those aged ≤45 years were defined as the young group (n=287), and were matched in a 1∶2 ratio by pTNM stage with female patients aged ≥60 years (elderly group, n=574). Clinicopathological characteristics were compared between the two groups. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method, and overall survival (OS) rates were assessed by log-rank test. Prognostic factors in the young group were analyzed using Cox regression models.
Results Compared to elderly patients, young female gastric cancer patients exhibited a higher prevalence of tumors in the middle third of the stomach and a lower proportion in the upper third of the stomach. Molecular profiling revealed a higher frequency of HER2-low expression and elevated Ki-67 index. Pathologically, these patients were more frequently diagnosed with poorly differentiated or undifferentiated adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma, while Lauren classification showed a predominance of the diffuse type with a lower proportion of the intestinal type (P<0.05). Stratified analysis showed no significant difference in OS rates between the two groups for stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ patients; however, among stage Ⅰ patients, the young group had significantly better OS rates than the elderly group (P=0.037). Multivariate Cox analysis and log-rank test confirmed that pN3 stage (HR=3.576, 95%CI 1.652–7.740), stage Ⅲ (HR=3.581, 95%CI 1.059–12.106), and diffuse type (HR=2.711, 95%CI 1.316–5.585) were risk factors for poor prognosis in young female gastric cancer patients.
Conclusions Young female patients with gastric adenocarcinoma typically present with clinicopathological features such as the diffuse type, poor differentiation, and high proliferation. Moreover, pN3 stage, stage Ⅲ cancer, and the diffuse type histology are correlated with a poor prognosis in this demographic.