The prognostic role of tumor size in stage T1 gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: The purpose was to assess the contribution of tumor size to the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: Patient data were sourced from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (SEER) database. Cox proportional risk regression was performed to determine the prognostic role of tumor size. Kaplan-Meier curves were conducted to calculate survival curves. Consistency index (c-index) and subject exercise curve (ROC) were utilized to assess the predictive ability of each factor on the prognosis of gastric cancer. RESULTS: Tumor size is preferable to other widely accepted prognostic clinical features in forecasting the survival of patients with gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The discriminatory ability of tumor size at T1 stage is superior to many other clinical prognostic factors.