Lack of any Association between Season of Diagnosis and Survival of Gastric Cancer Cases in Kayseri, Turkey

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> The influence of season of diagnosis on cancer survival has been an interesting issue for manyyears. Most studies have shown a possible association between seasonality and survival in some cancers. Weaimed to investigate whether there is an association between season of diagnosis and survival in patients withgastric cancer. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: We reviewed retrospectively the files of 279 histologically proven gastriccancer patients. According to diagnosis date, the patients were grouped into 4 seasons of diagnosis groups, spring,summer, autumn, and winter. <br/><b>Results</b>: There was no significant differences when the overall survival rates of thepatients were compared according to the patients’ season of diagnosis (p: 0.871). Median overall survival rateswere 22.0 (14.5-29.5) months for the patients who were diagnosed in spring, 24.0 (12.4-35.6) for summer, 18.0(9.96-26.0) for autumn and 21.0 (16.3-25.7) for winter. Median disease-free survival rates were 66.0 (44.1-68.1)months for the patients who were diagnosed in spring, 28.0 (17.0-39.0) for summer, 22.0 (0-46.4) for autumn and23.0 (17.5-28.5) for winter. While the rate was best for the patients diagnosed in spring the differences were notstatistically significant (p= 0.382). <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: On the basis of the above results the season was not suggestedas contributing to prognosis in gastric cancer cases in Kayseri, Turkey.