Does Hospital Volume Really Affect the Surgical and Oncological Outcomes of Gastric Cancer in Korea?

PURPOSE: The significance of hospital volume remains inconsistent and controversial. In particular, few studies have examined whether hospital volume is associated with the outcome of gastrectomy for gastric cancer in East Asia. This study examined the effect of hospital volume on the short-term surgical and long-term oncological outcomes of patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2009 and 2011, 1,561 patients underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital (n=1,322) and Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital (n=239). We defined Seoul St. Mary's Hospital as a high-volume center and Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital as a low-volume center. RESULTS: The extent of resection, rate of combined resection, tumor stage, operating time, and hospital stay did not differ significantly between the 2 hospitals. In addition, the hospital volume was not significantly associated with the 30-day morbidity and mortality. When the overall and disease-free survival rates of the patients were stratified according to stage, hospital volume was not significantly associated with prognosis at any stage. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital volume might not be a decisive factor with respect to the surgical and oncological outcomes of patients if well-trained surgeons perform gastrectomy for gastric cancer.