Lymphatic invasion in small differentiated-type mucosal gastric cancer

Preoperative imaging evaluation of the absolute indication criteria for endoscopic submucosal dissection in early gastric cancer patients

Introduction

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common malignant tumor with a high mortality rate.

Aim

To determine the accuracy of preoperative imaging information obtained from the combined use of general gastroscopy (GS), endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), and multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) regarding absolute indication of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in early gastric cancer (EGC).

Material and methods

The relationship between clinical features of 794 EGC patients and lymph node metastasis (LNM) was analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for LNM. Additionally, the accuracy of diagnosis of imaging techniques for ESD indications was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results

Data showed that tumor size > 2 cm (p = 0.0071), T1b stage (p < 0.0001), undifferentiated histology (p < 0.0001), and vascular invasion (p = 0.0007) were independent risk factors for LNM in patients with EGC. Indications for ESD have a specificity of 100% for the diagnosis of patients with LNM. Additionally, the diagnostic efficacy of the use of GS, EUS, and MDCT in identifying node positive status, T1a disease, tumor size ≤ 2 cm, and ulceration was found to be moderate with area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of 0.71, 0.64, 0.72, and 0.68, respectively. Furthermore, the use of imaging techniques for overall indication criteria for ESD had a moderate utility value with an AUC of 0.71.

Conclusions

Our data suggested that, based on the combined use of GS, EUS, and MDCT, a high specificity of patient selection for ESD treatment can be achieved.

A Rare Case of Lymph Node Metastasis from Early Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancers that fulfill the Japanese criteria for curative endoscopic resection show a low risk of lymph node (LN) metastasis. Here, we report a case of LN metastasis from early gastric cancer that fulfilled the curative criteria. A 74-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital for treatment of early gastric cancer identified at the site of a hyperplastic polyp that had been diagnosed 10 years prior to presentation. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography did not show any lymphadenopathy and laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy was performed. Histopathological examination revealed a predominantly moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma that measured 15 mm in size and was confined to the mucosa. However, a single metastatic regional LN was observed. A few cancer cells showed positive staining for alpha-fetoprotein. It should be noted that early gastric cancer can be accompanied by LN metastasis even if it fulfills the criteria for curative endoscopic resection.