PURPOSE: To identify the main five-year survival prognosis factors in patients with resectable advanced serosa exposed gastric carcinoma, who have undergone radical gastric resection with limited and extended lymphadenectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study examined 137 patients with resectable advanced serosa exposed gastric carcinoma, in the Belén Hospital, Trujillo, Peru, between 1991 and 2000. RESULTS: The average age of the total series was 58.1 +/- 14.8 year (ranging from 20 to 84 years). This series was formed by 137 patients, of which 77 (56.2%) were male and 60 (43.8%) were female (M:F ratio=1.3:1). The univariate analysis using the log-rank test, showed that the following variables were significantly associated with five-year survival: lack of palpable mass (p=0.0308), serum haemoglobin concentration of 10 g/dl or higher (p=0.05) neoplasias located in the distal third of the stomach (p=0.0001) regional ganglionic condition N0-N1 (p=0.03), clinical stage II (p=0.0327) ganglionic dissection D2-D3 (p=0.0366) and curative intended surgery (p=0.000). The actual survival rate of the entire series after 5 years was of 16.3%. In the group subjected to lymphadenectomy D0-D1 (n=105) survival rate after 5 years was of 12.6%, while in the group subjected to D2-D3 (n=32) it was of 30.2% (p=0.0366). Five-year survival rate in patients who underwent curative intended surgery (n=56) was of 33.4% and those who had palliative surgery (n=81) had a five-year survival rate of 3.1% (p=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Early detection, availability of curative surgery and the use of extended lymphadenectomy are factors that have an influence on the survival rate. These parameters should be considered for the staging of patients and their subsequent post-surgery assisting treatment.