Medical Journal of The Islamic Republic of Iran (MJIRI)

Background: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer and the second most common cause of death in the world. It is also one of the most common cancers leading to mortality in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the survival rate of patients with gastric cancer and its affecting factors in the south of Iran (Hormozgan province).
   Methods: In this study, all patients with gastric cancer (119 patients) that were diagnosed and registered during 2008 to 2013 in Hormozgan province, were studied. All patients were followed to the end of 2015. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used to draw survival curves and to determine the effective factors on the survival rate of surveyed patients. Moreover, Log-rank test was used to evaluate whether or not survival curves for different groups are statistically equivalent (p<0.05). 
   Results: The mean age of the study population was 58.9±14.91, and most of them were men (72.3% (86 persons)). After diagnosis, the survival rates for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were 62.2%, 49.4%, 43.7%, 39.7%, and 38% respectively. Survival in men were lower than women, but according to log-rank test this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.325). Also patients with advanced stage cancer had significantly lower survival in comparison to individuals with early stage disease (p<0.001). Based on multiple Cox proportional hazards model, job status of the patients and stage of cancer   were effective factors on patients’ survival.
   Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, the survival rate was decreased over time after diagnosis. Stage of a cancer at the time of diagnosis is the most important factor affecting the survival of surveyed patients. This shows that there is a crucial need to diagnos the gastric cancer in early stages.