Impact of anastomotic leakage on long-term survival after total gastrectomy for carcinoma of the stomach.

The article presents a study which examined the possible adverse effects of anastomotic leak on the long-term survival of patients with stomach cancer. A review was made on an electronic database of patients with resectable gastric cancer treated at university surgical centers. Results revealed that patients diagnosed with anastomotic leakage experienced increased incidences of surgical and general complications and higher mortality rates.