Updates from the British Association of Dermatologists 89th Annual Meeting, 7-10 July 2009, Glasgow, U.K

Comparison of tumor regression grading systems for locally advanced gastric adenocarcinoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Current tumor regression grade (TRG) evaluations are based on various systems which brings confusion for oncologists and pathologists when interpreting results. The recent six-tier system (JGCA2017-TRG) recommended by the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association (JGCA) is worth investigating, as four-tier TRG systems are favored in various parts of the world.

AIM

To compare the predictive accuracies of five published TRG systems.

METHODS

Data were retrospectively collected from patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by D2 Lymphadenectomy between January 2005 and January 2014 at our institution. Outcomes were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), which were evaluated separately using the following TRG systems: JGCA2017, JGCA, Becker, AJCC/CAP, and Mandard.

RESULTS

All five published TRG systems were independent predictors for OS and DFS. Concordance indices of the JGCA2017, JGCA, Becker, AJCC/CAP-TRG, and Mandard systems were 0.651/0.648 0.652/0.649, 0.693/0.695, 0.688/0.685, and 0.674/0.675 for OS and DFS, respectively. The four-tier Becker system showed the highest c-index, which was significantly greater than that of the six-tier JGCA2017 and five-tier JGCA systems (P < 0.05 in OS and DFS). When residual tumor percentages were reset as: “no residual tumor”, < 10%, < 100%, and “no response”, the rearranged cutoff values achieved a maximum c-index with 0.728 for OS and 0.737 for DFS, which was superior to the other five systems.

CONCLUSION

The newly introduced six-tier JGCA-TRG system cannot increase prognostic stratification. The four-tier Becker system is more suitable for LAGC patients. A population-based study is warranted to define the optimal criterion for TRG in LAGC patients.