Left Gastric Artery Lymph Nodes Should Be Included in D1 Lymph Node Dissection in Gastric Cancer

Prognostic significance of common hepatic artery lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer

PURPOSE

The number of lymph nodes is used to determine the prognosis in patients with gastric cancer undergoing D2 lymph node dissection. However, a group of extraperigastric lymph nodes, including lymph node 8a, are also considered to be effective in prognosis. In our clinical experience, in most patients during D2 lymph node dissection, the lymph nodes are removed en-bloc with the specimen and are not marked separately. The aim was to analyze the importance and prognostic impact of 8a lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS

Patients who underwent gastrectomy and D2 lymph node dissection for gastric cancer between 2015 and 2022 were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups based on metastasis to the 8a lymph node: metastatic and nonmetastatic. The effect of clinicopathologic features and the prevalence of lymph node metastasis on the prognosis of the two groups were analyzed.

RESULTS

The present study included 78 patients. The mean number of dissected lymph nodes was 27 (IQR, 15-62). There were 22 (28.2%) patients in the 8a lymph node metastatic group. Patients with 8a lymph node metastatic disease had shorter overall survival and shorter disease-free survival. Those with metastatic 8a lymph nodes among pathologic N2/3 patients had shorter overall and disease-free survival rates (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we believe that anterior common hepatic artery (8a) LN metastasis is a key factor that negatively affects both disease-free and overall survival in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer.

Central lymph node metastasis is predictive of survival in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with D2 lymphadenectomy

Background

The number of positive lymph nodes, which was defined as “N stage”, is mostly used to predict the survival of D2-resected gastric cancer patients, not the location. A “central lymph node” (CnLN) was defined by Ikoma et al., included common hepatic, celiac and proximal splenic artery LNs. CnLNs located in the extraperigastric area are included in the D2 LN station for gastric cancer. We speculate that CnLNs can be regarded as a predictor of survival.

Methods

Eligible advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection and D2 lymph node dissection between 2004 and 2012 at our institution were identified. The frequency of CnLN metastases and risk factors affecting DFS were examined. Survival differences were assessed by log-rank tests and Kaplan–Meier curves.

Results

The study identified 1178 patients who underwent curative surgery or D2 or more extensive lymphadenectomy. A total of 342 patients had been proven to have CnLN metastasis. Larger tumor size (P < 0.001), more frequent lymphatic vessel invasion (P < 0.001), signet ring cell histology (P = 0.014), and more advanced pathological T stage (P = 0.013) were significantly related to CnLNs metastasis. The patients with CnLN metastasis had a poor prognosis (HR for DFS of 1.366, 95%CI = 1.138–1.640, P = 0.001). For the pN2/3 patients, CnLN metastasis was associated with shorter 5-year DFS (for pN2 patients: 25.9% vs 39.3%, P = 0.017; for pN3 patients: 11.5% vs 23.4%, P = 0.005).

Conclusion

Gastric cancer patients with CnLN metastasis who underwent D2 resection had a poor prognosis. With the same N stage, the patients with positive CnLNs had shorter survival. CnLNs metastasis could be a supplement to N stage and a predictor of survival in gastric cancer patients. Large sample, multicenter, randomized clinical trials are still needed in the future.

Should the left gastric artery lymph node be considered as the predictive lymph node for extra-gastric lymph node metastases?

Background

To validate the prognostic impacts of the left gastric artery lymph node (No. 7 LN) metastasis and investigate whether the No. 7 LN metastasis should be considered as the predictive LN for extra-gastric LN metastases.

Methods

Between January 2003 and December 2011, a total of 1,586 patients who underwent R0 gastrectomy were retrospected. Patients with LN metastases were divided into three groups: (I) patients with only peri-gastric LN metastases (peri-gastric group); (II) patients with peri-gastric and only No. 7 LN metastases (No. 7 group); and (III) patients with other extra-gastric LN metastases (extra-gastric group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was adopted to accurately evaluate prognoses of all patients after surgery.

Results

Of 1,586 patients, 235 (14.82%) were pathologically identified to present with the No. 7 LN metastases. Patients with the No. 7 LN metastases presented the significantly lower survival rate both before and after adjustment by pTNM stage, compared to those without the No. 7 LN metastases. Patients in the No. 7 group were identified to present the significant lower survival rate than those in the peri-gastric group, and to present the similar median overall survival (OS) to those in the extra-gastric group. In addition, patients with extra-gastric LN except No. 7 LN metastases failed to show any superiority of survival outcomes, compared with those with extra-gastric LN metastases including the No. 7 LN metastasis.

Conclusions

The No. 7 LN metastases had the crucial survival implications. Nevertheless, the No. 7 LN failed to be considered as the predictive LN for the extra-gastric LN metastases in gastric cancer (GC).

Surgeon Assessment of Gastric Cancer Lymph Node Specimens with a Video of Technique

INTRODUCTION

In the majority of US institutions, gastrectomy specimens are sent for pathologic examination without surgeon assessment or standardized technique of lymph node (LN) assessment for gastric cancer. We conducted a quality improvement project at a US cancer center utilizing surgeon assessment of gastric LNs, and created a video to illustrate a technique of standardized lymph node assessment.

METHODS

Convenience sampling was employed among patients with gastric adenocarcinomas who underwent curative-intent D2 gastrectomy between July 2016 and June 2017. For each patient, a surgeon assessed gastric LNs by harvesting individual LNs, followed by conventional evaluation by a pathologist.

RESULTS

We enrolled 17 patients for this quality improvement project. Eight patients underwent total gastrectomy, and nine patients underwent subtotal gastrectomy. Twelve patients underwent preoperative chemoradiation therapy, three underwent preoperative chemotherapy alone, and two underwent upfront surgery. The median number of examined LNs was 43. All patients had ≥ 16 LNs examined, and 88% of patients had ≥ 30 LNs examined.

CONCLUSION

Surgeon assessment of gastric LN specimens was feasible and effective to provide high-quality pathologic LN assessment after gastrectomy in gastric adenocarcinoma patients. Standardization of the technical methods for gastric LN evaluation is needed to improve the accuracy and quality of gastric cancer staging in the US. The provided video can help inform standardization of gastric LN assessment.

Central Lymph Node Metastasis in Gastric Cancer Is Predictive of Survival After Preoperative Therapy

BACKGROUND

It is unclear how preoperative therapy for gastric cancer affects the metastasis rate of lymph nodes (LNs) and whether the location of positive LNs affects survival after preoperative therapy. Therefore, we determined the association between positive central lymph nodes (CnLNs) and disease stage and overall survival (OS).

METHODS

We reviewed a prospectively maintained database to identify patients who had undergone resection of gastric adenocarcinoma at our institution from 2005 to 2015. CnLNs were defined as common hepatic, celiac, and proximal splenic artery LNs (stations no. 8, 9, and 11p). The frequency of CnLN metastases and risk factors affecting OS were examined.

RESULTS

We identified 356 patients. Preoperative therapy was administered to 66% of patients. D2 LN dissection was performed in 80% of patients, and the median number of LNs examined was 25 (IQR, 18-34). In 243 patients (68%), CnLNs had undergone separate pathologic examination; the CnLN-positive rate was 9.1% (22 of 243; station no. 8, 4.5%; no. 9, 2.1%; and no. 11p, 4.8%). CnLN metastasis was associated with shorter 3-year OS in patients with pN2/3 disease (33 vs. 62%; p = 0.004). Among patients who had undergone preoperative therapy, ypT3-4 stage (HR 2.44; p = 0.01) and positive CnLNs (HR 5.44; p < 0.001) were negatively associated with OS by multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

CnLN metastases are uncommon in gastric cancer and have an adverse effect on OS in patients who have undergone preoperative therapy. Larger multi-institutional studies are needed to determine whether CnLN positivity requires a separate staging category after preoperative therapy.