Short-term outcomes of D2 lymphadenectomy plus complete mesogastric excision for gastric cancer: a propensity score matching analysis

Short-term outcomes of laparoscopic D2 lymphadenectomy versus D2 lymphadenectomy plus complete mesogastric excision in distal gastric cancer patients with high body mass index

BACKGROUND

The technical challenges and safety issues involving laparoscopic D2 lymphadenectomy plus complete mesogastric excision (D2 + CME) for high body mass index (BMI) patients are still unknown. This study was conducted to compare the short-term outcomes of laparoscopic D2 + CME and D2 lymphadenectomy in distal gastric cancer patients of different BMI status.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) at our center between 2019 June and 2023 September. Patients who underwent traditional laparoscopic D2 lymphadenectomy were divided into the D2 group, while patients undergoing laparoscopic D2 + CME were divided into the D2 + CME group. In each group, patients were further subdivided based on their BMI into the high BMI group (H-BMI, BMI ≥ 25) and normal BMI (N-BMI, BMI<25) group. A comparison was made between the characteristics of patients and their short-term outcomes in the two subgroups, respectively. Propensity score matching (PSM) at 1:1 ratio was performed to further assess the short-term outcomes of patients with high BMI in two groups.

RESULTS

AII the qualified patients were divided into the D2 group (n = 329) and D2 + CME group (n = 261). In the subgroup analysis of early surgical outcomes of the D2 group, the high BMI subgroup had longer surgery time (p = 0.007), more blood loss (p = 0.006) and longer time to first flatus (p = 0.001), compared to the normal BMI subgroup. Conversely, in the D2 + CME group, significant differences were not observed in early surgical outcomes between the two subgroups(p > 0.05). PSM yielded 44 high BMI patients with comparable baseline characteristics into the A group and the B group. Compared to the A group, patients with high BMI in the B group who received laparoscopic D2 + CME had shorter surgery time(p<0.001), less blood loss(p = 0.004), more retrieved lymph nodes (LNs) (p = 0.016). No statistical differences were observed in terms of the first flatus time, pT stage, pN stage, pathological stage(pStage), vascular invasion, postoperative complications, or postoperative hospital stay(p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest the high BMI status had a significant impact on the early surgical results of laparoscopic conventional D2 lymphadenectomy. However, laparoscopic D2 + CME was unaffected by a high BMI. In addition, patients with high BMI benefit more from laparoscopic D2 + CME in terms of short-term outcomes. Laparoscopic D2 + CME is a recommended technique for distal gastric cancer patients with high BMI, which deserves further study and promotion.

The number of mesogastria containing metastatic lymph nodes predicts gastric cancer prognosis

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have established the existence of the mesogastrium, dividing it into 6 sections. The mesogastrium is identified during surgery and used in surgical practice. The aim of the present study was to further investigate its role in gastric cancer prognosis.

METHODS

Between January 2014 and January 2018, patients from the Tongji Hospital were included in this post hoc analysis, including data from a randomized clinical study (DCGC01; http://www.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov, NCT01978444). Mesogastria containing metastatic lymph nodes were referred to as metastatic mesogastria. Pathology reports were examined to assess metastases in the mesogastrium. Survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox models.

RESULTS

Among the 479 patients, 230 (48.0%) had no lymph node metastasis, 34 (7.1%) had 1 metastatic mesogastrium, and 215 (44.9%) had 2 to 6 metastatic mesogastria. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of metastatic mesogastria and N stages were independent risk factors for patient prognosis. In general, a higher metastatic mesogastrium number is positively correlated with a worse prognosis. For identical N stages, 5-year survival rates for patients with 2 to 6 metastatic mesogastria were significantly lower than those for patients with 1 metastatic mesogastrium.

CONCLUSION

The number of metastatic mesogastria serves as an independent prognostic factor from the N stage.

The short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic D2 lymphadenectomy plus complete mesogastrium excision for lymph node-negative gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with T1-3N0M0 gastric cancer (GC) who undergo radical gastrectomy maintain a high recurrence rate. The free cancer cells in the mesogastric adipose connective tissue (Metastasis V) maybe the reason for recurrence in these individuals. We aimed to evaluate whether D2 lymphadenectomy plus complete mesogastrium excision (D2 + CME) was superior to D2 lymphadenectomy with regard to safety and oncological efficacy for T1-3N0M0 GC.

METHODS

Patients with T1-3N0M0 GC who underwent radical resection from January 2014 to July 2018 were retrospectively analyzed; there were 323 patients, of whom 185 were in the D2 + CME group and 138 in the D2 group. The primary endpoint was 5-year disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary endpoints include the 5-year overall survival (OS), recurrence pattern, morbidity, mortality, and surgical outcomes.

RESULTS

D2 + CME was associated with less intraoperative bleeding loss, a greater number of lymph nodes harvested, and less time to first postoperative flatus, but the postoperative morbidity was similar. The 5-year DFS was 95.6% (95% CI 92.7-98.5%) and 90.4% (95% CI 85.5-95.3%) in the D2 + CME group and the D2 group, respectively, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.455 (95% CI 0.188-1.097; p = 0.071). In terms of recurrence patterns, local recurrence was more prone to occur in the D2 group (p = 0.031). Subgroup analysis indicated that for patients with T1b-3N0M0 GC, the 5-year DFS in the D2 + CME group was considerably greater than that in the D2 group (95.3% [95% CI 91.6-99.0%] vs. 87.6% [95% CI 80.7-94.5%], HR 0.369, 95% CI 0.138-0.983; log-rank p = 0.043).

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic D2 + CME for T1-3N0M0 GC is safe and feasible. Furthermore, it not only reduces the local recurrence rate but also improves the 5-year DFS in cases of T1b-3N0M0 GC.

Short-Term Outcomes after D2 Gastrectomy with Complete Mesogastric Excision in Patients with Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of High-Quality Studies

Complete mesogastric excision (CME) has been advocated to allow for a more extensive retrieval of lymph nodes, as well as lowering loco-regional recurrence rates. This study aims to analyze the short-term outcomes of D2 radical gastrectomy with CME compared to standard D2 gastrectomy. A systematic review of the literature was conducted according to the Cochrane recommendations until 2 July 2023 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023443361). The primary outcome, expressed as mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), was the number of harvested lymph nodes (LNs). Meta-analyses of means and binary outcomes were developed using random effects models to assess heterogeneity. The risk of bias in included studies was assessed with the RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools. There were 13 studies involving 2009 patients that were included, revealing a significantly higher mean number of harvested LNs in the CME group (MD: 2.55; 95% CI: 0.25-4.86; 95%; p = 0.033). The CME group also experienced significantly lower intraoperative blood loss, a lower length of stay, and a shorter operative time. Three studies showed a serious risk of bias, and between-study heterogeneity was mostly moderate or high. Radical gastrectomy with CME may offer a safe and more radical lymphadenectomy, but long-term outcomes and the applicability of this technique in the West are still to be proven.

Complete mesogastric excision for gastric cancer: is it the future of gastric cancer surgery?

Gastric cancer remains undoubtedly one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide. The global incidence shows wide geographic variation with a high prevalence in Asia. Besides that, there are evident differences in epidemiology, histopathology, tumor location, diagnosis and treatment strategy between east and west countries. Gastric cancer represents an aggressive disease, with many factors influencing its development and also recurrence after surgical resection. New knowledge of disease spread and new routes of metastases are now emerging and the 'novel' concept of complete mesogastric excision for gastric cancer is under consideration and debate. This article aims to analyze and highlight this new concept after a careful literature review, offering also a view toward the future.

Surgical and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (D3 + CME) for colon cancer: A prospective single-center cohort study

BACKGROUND

Complete mesocolic excision (CME) or D3 lymphadenectomy led to survival benefits for locally advanced right colon cancer, but with vague definitions in anatomy and debated surgical hazard in clinic. Aiming to achieve a precise definition of it in anatomy, we proposed laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (D3 + CME) as a novel procedure for colon cancer. However, the surgical and oncological results of this procedure in clinic were uncertain.

METHODS

We performed a cohort study involving prospective data collected from a single-center in China. Data from all patients who underwent right hemicolectomy between January 2014 and December 2018 were included. We compared the surgical and oncological outcomes between D3 + CME and conventional CME.

RESULTS

After implementation of exclusion criteria, a total of 442 patients were included. D3 + CME group performed better in lymph nodes harvested (25.0 [17.0, 33.8] vs. 18.0 [14.0, 25.0], P < 0.001) and the proportion of intraoperative blood loss ≥ 50 mL (31.7% vs. 51.8%, P < 0.001); no significant difference was observed in the complication rates between two groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that a better cumulative 5-year disease-free survival (91.3% vs. 82.2%, P = 0.026) and a better cumulative 5-year overall survival (95.2% vs. 86.1%, P = 0.012) were obtained in the D3 + CME group. Multivariate COX regression revealed that D3 + CME was an independent protective factor for disease-free survival (P = 0.026).

CONCLUSION

D3 + CME could improve surgical and oncological outcomes simultaneously for right colon cancer compared to conventional CME. Large-scale randomized controlled trials were further required to confirm this conclusion, if possible.