Low creatinine clearance is a risk factor for D2 gastrectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Prognosis of hemodialysis patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer: Results of a multicenter retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the survival outcomes of and predictive factors for survival in hemodialysis patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer.

METHODS

We performed a multicenter retrospective study from 9 institutions to investigate the survival outcomes of 75 hemodialysis patients with gastric cancer. Patient characteristics included demographic data, hemodialysis- and gastric cancer-related variables. Multivariate Cox hazards models were applied to determine independent predictors of poor overall survival and non-gastric cancer related death.

RESULTS

Stage I disease was predominant (58.7%) in our series. The overall morbidity and the 30-day mortality rates were 25.3% and 1.3%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates of patients with pStages I, II, III, and IV disease were 59.2%, 42.9%, 32.3%, and 0%, respectively. Eleven (14.7%) patients died of gastric cancer, whereas many more (40.0%) died owing to causes other than gastric cancer. Non-gastric cancer-related death was especially prevalent in patients with pStages I (95.2%) and II (75.0%) disease. Multivariable analysis revealed advanced age, long duration of hemodialysis (> 5 years), total gastrectomy, and pStage IV disease to be independently associated with poor overall survival. Notably, advanced age, long duration of hemodialysis, and the presence of cardiovascular disease were all independent predictors of non-gastric cancer-related death. Patients with all 3 factors had very poor survival outcomes (3-year overall survival; 14.3%).

CONCLUSION

The survival outcomes of hemodialysis patients with gastric cancer, especially those with early-stage gastric cancer, were clearly poor, largely owing to the increased risk of non-gastric cancer-related death. Preoperative comorbidities and hemodialytic features were useful for predicting long-term outcomes of this vulnerable population.

Usefulness of preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate to predict complications after curative gastrectomy in patients with clinical T2-4 gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Gastrectomy with systemic lymphadenectomy is the standard of care for resectable gastric cancer (GC), but it is sometimes associated with postoperative morbidity. Predicting complications is therefore an essential part of risk management in clinical practice. The renal function is routinely evaluated before surgery by blood examinations to determine dose of medication and infusion. However, the value of various parameters of renal function in prediction of postoperative complications remain unclear.

METHODS

We included 315 patients who underwent curative D2 gastrectomy for clinical T2-T4 GC without preoperative treatment, and evaluated the correlation between the incidence of postoperative complications and the indicators of renal function.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients experienced clinically relevant postoperative complications. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) showed a higher area under the curve for predicting complications compared with urea nitrogen, creatinine, and creatinine clearance. The optimal eGFR cutoff value was 63.2 ml/min/1.73 m², and eGFR < 63.2 was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications in multivariable analysis (odds ratio 4.67; 95 % confidence interval 2.16-10.5; p < 0.001). Particularly, the incidence of anastomotic leakage was significantly higher in patients with eGFR < 63.2 than those with eGFR ≥ 63.2 (9.4 % vs. 3.5 %). eGFR < 63.2 was also associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications independent of age, body mass index, operative procedure, and clinical disease stage. Postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer in the eGFR < 63.2 group.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative eGFR is a simple and useful predictor for complications after gastrectomy in patients with GC and may improve clinical care and the process of obtaining informed consent.

Histological evaluation for chemotherapeutic responses of metastatic lymph nodes in gastric cancer

AIM: To investigate the effect of preoperative chemotherapy (pre-CTx) for metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) of gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS: A retrospective cohort of patients with advanced GC, who underwent pre-CTx followed by gastrectomy, was reviewed. The histological tumor regression grade (TRG), which considered the percentage of residual cancer in the visible tumor bed, was applied to primary tumors and individual MLNs: G1a (complete response), G1b (< 10%), G2 (10%-50%) and G3 (> 50%). The clinical response to pre-CTx was retrospectively evaluated using only MLNs information, and we compared the histological and clinical evaluations of MLNs.

RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were enrolled. A total of 438 MLNs were retrieved, and 22 (5%), 48 (11%), 63 (14%) and 305 (70%) LNs were assigned as G1a, G1b, G2 and G3, respectively. Stratification of the residual MLNs based on the TRGs was as follows: 28 G1b MLNs (9%), 48 G2 MLNs (15%), and 253 G3 MLNs (76%) in the D1 region; 20 (23%), 15 (17%), and 52 (60%) in the D2 region, respectively. However, no significant correlation was found between TRGs in MLNs and clinical response in the subgroup for which evaluation of clinical response was available.

CONCLUSION: Pre-CTx does not provide any outstanding histological benefit for MLNs, and an appropriate D2 lymphadenectomy should routinely be performed to offer the chance of curative resection.