Case Control Study
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World J Gastroenterol. Mar 28, 2014; 20(12): 3369-3375
Published online Mar 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i12.3369
Analysis of prognostic factors and outcomes of gastric cancer in younger patients: A case control study using propensity score methods
Ki-Han Kim, Yoo-Min Kim, Min-Chan Kim, Ghap-Joong Jung
Ki-Han Kim, Yoo-Min Kim, Min-Chan Kim, Ghap-Joong Jung, Department of Surgery, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan 602-715, South Korea
Author contributions: Kim KH and Kim MC contributed equally to this work; Kim KH designed the report and wrote the manuscript; Kim KH and Kim YM acquired the data; Kim KH and Kim MC analyzed and interpreted the data; Kim MC and Jung GJ provided the final approval of the version to be published.
Supported by The Dong-A University Research Fund
Correspondence to: Min Chan Kim, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Dong-A University College of Medicine, 3-1 Dongdaeshin-Dong, Seo-Gu, Busan 602-715, South Korea. mckim@donga.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-51-2402643 Fax: +82-51-2479316
Received: September 22, 2013
Revised: November 18, 2013
Accepted: January 6, 2014
Published online: March 28, 2014
Processing time: 187 Days and 1.8 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: In this study, propensity scoring methods were used to select patients with similar disease statuses. A total of 224 matched cases (112 patients in each group) were included in the analysis. The younger group with gastric cancer had more aggressive patterns than did the older group. The overall five-year survival rates between the younger and older groups were not significantly different. While there were more cases of aggressive cancer patterns in the younger group, early diagnosis and curative resections improved the prognosis and patient survival; the younger group with gastric cancer did not show a worse prognosis than the older group.