Young age increases risk for lymph node positivity in gastric cancer: A Chinese multi-institutional database and US SEER database study

Latin American young patients with gastric adenocarcinoma: worst prognosis and outcomes

Background

Incidence of young patients (aged 40 years or younger) diagnosed with gastric carcinoma has increased worldwide. Young GC diagnosis, have clinicopathological features that differ from elderly, and is correlated with bad prognosis factors. The purpose of this work is to describe the prevalence, clinic-pathological features, and prognosis of overall survival (OS) of young Latin-American patients with GC.

Methods

Retrospective, observational study. Included patients treated at the National Cancer Institute [2004-2020]. Statistical analysis: χ2 and t-test, Kaplan-Meier, Log-Rank and Cox-Regression. Statistical significance differences were assessed when P was bilaterally <0.05.

Results

A total of 2,543 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Young-patients were predominantly female (54%), with diffuse-type adenocarcinoma (68%), signet-ring-cell (72%), poor-differentiation (90%), and metastatic (79%). In OS analysis, patients with metastatic disease, showed differences regarding age, young patients reported a median-OS of 8 versus 13 months for elderly patients (P=0.001). Among young patients, differences were also observed regarding gender, young-female patients had a median-OS of 5 versus 11 months for young-man (P=0.001).

Conclusions

This is one of the pioneer studies correlating age with gender and the prognostic features of bad prognosis in Latin-American population. Besides, supports the idea that a global effort is required to improve awareness, prevention, and early diagnosis of GC.

Reliability of the Lymph Node Ratio in the Prediction of Gastric Cancer Survival

Background. Lymph node metastasis is the major determinant factor in the prognosis of gastric cancer. There is still no definite consensus on the lymph node number that should be harvested during gastric cancer surgery. Lymph Node Ratio (LNR) is defined as the ratio of metastatic nodes to the total number of pathologically examined lymph nodes. LNR has been proposed to be a sensitive prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer. In this study the reliability of the LNR is tested for being a prognostic factor in gastric cancer survival. Methods. Medical records of 244 patients, with neither distant metastases nor neoadjuvant treatment underwent curative gastrectomy, were analyzed retrospectively in terms of survival according to the lymph node ratio (LNR). Patients were divided in two groups by using LNR cut-off value. Results. LNR of 0.4 was proved to be the best cut-off value to predict the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that age over 65 (p < 0.001), and LNR ≥ 0.4 (p = 0.02) were independent factors in gastric cancer survival. Patients with LNR ≥ 0.4 presented with worse outcomes regarding other prognostic parameters (tumor differentiation, tumor diameter, lymphovascular invasion or perineural invasion), despite similar numbers of lymph nodes being harvested in both groups during surgery. Conclusion. Lymph node ratio is a reliable parameter to predict the survival in gastric cancer.

Establishment and Validation for Predicting the Lymph Node Metastasis in Early Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is considered to be one of the important factors in determining the optimal treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC). This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to predict LNM in patients with EGC. A total of 842 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were divided into training and testing sets with a ratio of 6 : 4 for model development. Clinical data (494 patients) from the hospital were used for external validation. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the predictors using the training set. Logistic regression, LASSO regression, ridge regression, and elastic-net regression methods were used to construct the model. The performance of the model was quantified by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results showed that T stage, tumor size, and tumor grade were independent predictors of LNM in EGC patients. The AUC of the logistic regression model was 0.766 (95% CI, 0.709-0.823), which was slightly higher than that of the other models. However, the AUC of the logistic regression model in external validation was 0.625 (95% CI, 0.537-0.678). A nomogram was drawn to predict LNM in EGC patients based on the logistic regression model. Further validation based on gender, age, and grade indicated that the logistic regression predictive model had good adaptability to the population with grade III tumors, with an AUC of 0.803 (95% CI, 0.606-0.999). Our nomogram showed a good predictive ability and may provide a tool for clinicians to predict LNM in EGC patients.

Prognostic performance of different lymph node classification systems in young gastric cancer

Background

Accurate staging plays a pivotal role in cancer care. The lymph node (LN) ratio (LNR) and the log odds of positive LNs (LODDS) have been suggested as alternatives to the N staging since the TNM system has the risk of stage migration. The prognostic significance of LNR and LODDS in young patients with gastric cancer (GC) has not been reported. This study aims to investigate the correlations between LNR and LODDS and survival of young patients with GC, and compare the predictive performance of these LN staging methods.

Methods

GC patients before the age of 40 from 2004 to 2016 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database were enrolled. The prognostic evaluation of the N factor, LNR and LODDS was compared using the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, area under the curve (AUC), C-index and Akaike information criterion (AIC).

Results

Multivariate survival analysis identified that the LNR and LODDS were significantly independent prognostic indicators for overall survival (OS) in young patients with GC and in the subgroups comprised of patients with ≤15 LNs examined. The time-dependent ROC curves of the LNR and LODDS were continuously superior to that of the N factor in predicting OS during the observation period. And the AUCs revealed that the predictive accuracy of the LNR and LODDS was remarkably superior to the N factor at 1 and 3 years (P<0.05). The model incorporating LNR or LODDS had higher C-index and lower AIC when comparing to the model incorporating the N factor.

Conclusions

The LNR and LODDS improve accuracy of survival risk prediction in young patients with GC when comparing to the N factor. These two novel LN classification methods should be considered as alternatives to the N staging for the prognostic prediction of young patients with GC.

Young age increases the risk of lymph node positivity but improves prognosis in patients with bladder cancer treated via cystectomy: a population-based study

Background

Age and lymph node positivity are significant prognostic indicators in patients with bladder cancer. This study aimed to investigate the impact of age on lymph node positivity and bladder cancer outcomes.

Methods

Patients with bladder cancer who underwent cystectomy with at least one lymph node examined between 2004 and 2015 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Cochran-Armitage trend tests and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between age and lymph node positivity in all T stages. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the effect of age on overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

Results

Overall, 13,251 patients were identified, 648 of whom were under 50 years of age (4.89%). Lymph node positivity was negatively associated with increasing age in each stage except in non-invasive-muscular bladder cancer. In the multivariable analysis, age was an independent prognostic factor for OS and CSS in both the overall cohort and the lymph node positivity group.

Conclusions

In patients with bladder cancer undergoing cystectomy, young age at diagnosis is associated with a higher risk of lymph node positivity and superior outcomes. These findings may guide clinicians in selecting suitable treatments, determining the aggressiveness of lymph node involvement, and predicting survival outcomes in patients of different ages.

A population-based study: how to identify high-risk T1 gastric cancer patients?

In T1 gastric cancer (GC), lymph nodes metastasis (LNM) is considered as a significant prognostic predictor and closely associated with following therapeutic approaches as well as distant metastasis (DM). This study aimed to not only seek risk factors of LNM and DM but also unpack the prognosis in T1 GC patients. We performed a retrospective study enrolling 5547 patients in T1 GC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were produced to recognize independent risk factors of LNM and DM. Cox regression analyses were performed to identify important prognostic factors of overall survival (OS). Cancer-specific cumulative incidence was plotted by cumulative incidence function. Three nomograms of LNM, DM and OS were established and validated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration curves to evaluate discrimination and accuracy. Decision curve analysis (DCA), clinical impact curves (CIC) and subgroups based on risk scores were constructed to measure nomograms clinical utility. The area under the curve (AUC) of LNM nomogram and DM nomogram were 0.735 and 0.896, respectively. OS nomogram was constructed and the corresponding C-index was 0.797. In conclusion, our user-friendly nomograms, which aimed to predict LNM, DM and OS in T1 gastric cancer patients, have shown high efficiency of discrimination and accuracy. These useful and visual tools may have advantageous clinical utility to identify high-risk T1 gastric patients and help clinicians to draw up an individual therapeutic strategy.

Analyzing and predicting the LNM rate and prognosis of patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas

Background

Current the surveillance and management are controversial for patients with IPMN. We aimed to develop an alternative nomogram to individualize IPMN prognosis and LNM.

Methods

Based on the data from SEER database of patients diagnosed with IPMN between 2004 and 2015, a nomogram predicting the survival and LNM of IPMN based on univariate and multivariate and Lasso regression analysis was performed, internally and externally validated, and measured by C‐index, and decision curve analysis (DCA), and compared to the 7^th TNM stage.

Results

A total of 941 patients were included. Age, T stage examined nodes, tumor size, and pathology grade were identified as an independent factor for predicting LNM. The nomogram we established to predict LNM had a high predicting value with a C‐index value of 0.735 and an AUC value of 0.753. Interestingly, including T1 stage, we found an inverse correlation was between age and LNM. In addition, nomogram for predicting CSS also performed better than TNM stage both in the internal validation group (1‐year AUC:0.753 vs. 0.693, 3‐year AUC: 0.801 vs. 0.731, 5‐year AUC: 0.803 vs. 0.733) and external validation group (1‐year AUC: 0.761 vs. 0.701, 3‐year AUC: 0.772 vs. 0.713, 5‐year AUC:0.811 vs. 0.735). DCA analysis showed the nomogram showed a greater benefit across the period of follow‐up compared to 7^th TNM stage.

Conclusion

A nomogram based on multivariate and Lasso regression analysis showed great clinical usability compared with current criteria. Also, for LNM of IPMN, younger age patients with IPMN should be attached more importance.

Chemotherapy Use and Survival Among Young and Middle-Aged Patients With Gastric Cancer

INTRODUCTION:

Treatments for young patients with gastric cancer (GC) remain poorly defined, and their effects on survival are uncertain. We aimed to investigate the receipt of chemotherapy by age category (18–49, 50–64, and 65–85 years) and explore whether age differences in chemotherapy matched survival gains in patients with GC.

METHODS:

Patients who were histologically diagnosed with GC were included from a Chinese multi-institutional database and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. There were 5,122 and 31,363 patients aged 18–85 years treated between 2000 and 2014, respectively. Overall survival and stage-specific likelihood of receiving chemotherapy were evaluated.

RESULTS:

Of the 5,122 and 31,363 patients in China and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result data sets, 3,489 (68.1%) and 18,115 (57.8%) were men, respectively. Younger (18–49 years) and middle-aged (50–64 years) patients were more likely to receive chemotherapy compared with older patients (65–85 years) (64.9%, 56.7%, and 45.4% in the 3 groups from the China data set). Among patients treated with surgery alone, a significantly better prognosis was found in younger and middle-aged patients than their older counterparts; however, no significant differences were found in overall survival among age subgroups in patients who received both surgery and chemotherapy, especially in the China data set. The survival benefit from chemotherapy was superior among older patients (all P < 0.0001) compared with that among younger and middle-aged patients in stage II and III disease.

DISCUSSION:

Potential overuse of chemotherapy was found in younger and middle-aged patients with GC, but the addition of chemotherapy did not bring about matched survival improvement, especially in the China data set.

Gastric Carcinoma in Young Patients and Its Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis

Background

Gastric cancer is usually an age-related disease and mostly diagnosed after the sixth decade of life, though it may also be diagnosed earlier.

Objective

The aim of this study is to explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric carcinoma in young patients.

Methods

A total of 1379 patients younger than 75 years histologically diagnosed with primary gastric carcinoma underwent gastrectomy. Patients were categorized into three groups based on their age which included young age group (≤40 years), middle-aged group (age 41-60 years), and elderly group (age 61-75 years). The young age group was further subdivided into two groups: Group A (age ≤35 years) and Group B (age 35-40 years). The analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis followed thereafter.

Results

Females predominate in young group (p < 0.001). A significantly higher undifferentiated histological pattern was found in the young age group from the other two groups (p < 0.001). Tumor location in the lower third of the stomach was significantly higher in the young group than the other groups (p < 0.001). T4 stage was common in young patients similar to the middle and old age group (p = 0.049). Distal gastrectomy was performed more in the young age group rather than the middle and old age groups with the following percentage ratios: young group 74.5% (123/165), middle age group 59.9% (429/716), and old age group 52.2% (260/498) (p < 0.001). The 5-year overall survival rate of the young, middle, and old age groups were 46%, 48%, and 39%, respectively, whereas the 5-year overall survival rates of the subgroups of young patients, Group A and Group B, were 33% and 49%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that independent negative prognostic factors were as follows: tumor location (L), p = 0.016, OR = 0.795, 95%CI = [0.659; 0.959]; larger tumor size, p = 0.026, OR = 1.727, 95%CI = [1.067; 2.797]; resection margin, p < 0.001, OR = 2.167, 95%CI = [1.751; 2.682]; tumor stage (T4), p < 0.001, OR = 2.572, 95%CI = [1.709; 3.870]; and nodal involvement N1, p = 0.005, OR = 1.506, 95%CI = [1.123; 2.020]; N2, p < 0.001, OR = 1.708, 95%CI = [1.289; 2.263]; and N3, p < 0.001, OR = 2.986, 95%CI = [2.314; 3.854].

Conclusion

The young age groups of patients were predominantly female and had a higher proportion of poorly differentiated and undifferentiated type of tumor; moreover, patients aged <35 years had a poor prognosis. In addition, gastric cancer can occur in patients less than 30 years old, and symptoms suggestive of gastric cancer should be investigated aggressively; therefore, a close scrutiny and monitoring should be done in younger patients especially those associated with high-risk factors which could indicate the presence of the disease at an early stage.

Gastric Carcinoma in Young Patients and Its Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis

Background. Gastric cancer is usually an age-related disease and mostly diagnosed after the sixth decade of life, though it may also be diagnosed earlier. Objective. The aim of this study is to explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric carcinoma in young patients. Methods. A total of 1379 patients younger than 75 years histologically diagnosed with primary gastric carcinoma underwent gastrectomy. Patients were categorized into three groups based on their age which included young age group (≤40 years), middle-aged group (age 41-60 years), and elderly group (age 61-75 years). The young age group was further subdivided into two groups: Group A (age ≤35 years) and Group B (age 35-40 years). The analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis followed thereafter. Results. Females predominate in young group (p<0.001). A significantly higher undifferentiated histological pattern was found in the young age group from the other two groups (p<0.001). Tumor location in the lower third of the stomach was significantly higher in the young group than the other groups (p<0.001). T4 stage was common in young patients similar to the middle and old age group (p=0.049). Distal gastrectomy was performed more in the young age group rather than the middle and old age groups with the following percentage ratios: young group 74.5% (123/165), middle age group 59.9% (429/716), and old age group 52.2% (260/498) (p<0.001). The 5-year overall survival rate of the young, middle, and old age groups were 46%, 48%, and 39%, respectively, whereas the 5-year overall survival rates of the subgroups of young patients, Group A and Group B, were 33% and 49%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that independent negative prognostic factors were as follows: tumor location (L), p=0.016, OR=0.795, 95%CI=0.659;0.959; larger tumor size, p=0.026, OR=1.727, 95%CI=1.067;2.797; resection margin, p<0.001, OR=2.167, 95%CI=1.751;2.682; tumor stage (T4), p<0.001, OR=2.572, 95%CI=1.709;3.870; and nodal involvement N1, p=0.005, OR=1.506, 95%CI=1.123;2.020; N2, p<0.001, OR=1.708, 95%CI=1.289;2.263; and N3, p<0.001, OR=2.986, 95%CI=2.314;3.854. Conclusion. The young age groups of patients were predominantly female and had a higher proportion of poorly differentiated and undifferentiated type of tumor; moreover, patients aged <35 years had a poor prognosis. In addition, gastric cancer can occur in patients less than 30 years old, and symptoms suggestive of gastric cancer should be investigated aggressively; therefore, a close scrutiny and monitoring should be done in younger patients especially those associated with high-risk factors which could indicate the presence of the disease at an early stage.

Gastric Carcinoma in Young Patients and Its Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis

Background. Gastric cancer is usually an age-related disease and mostly diagnosed after the sixth decade of life, though it may also be diagnosed earlier. Objective. The aim of this study is to explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric carcinoma in young patients. Methods. A total of 1379 patients younger than 75 years histologically diagnosed with primary gastric carcinoma underwent gastrectomy. Patients were categorized into three groups based on their age which included young age group (≤40 years), middle-aged group (age 41-60 years), and elderly group (age 61-75 years). The young age group was further subdivided into two groups: Group A (age ≤35 years) and Group B (age 35-40 years). The analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis followed thereafter. Results. Females predominate in young group (p<0.001). A significantly higher undifferentiated histological pattern was found in the young age group from the other two groups (p<0.001). Tumor location in the lower third of the stomach was significantly higher in the young group than the other groups (p<0.001). T4 stage was common in young patients similar to the middle and old age group (p=0.049). Distal gastrectomy was performed more in the young age group rather than the middle and old age groups with the following percentage ratios: young group 74.5% (123/165), middle age group 59.9% (429/716), and old age group 52.2% (260/498) (p<0.001). The 5-year overall survival rate of the young, middle, and old age groups were 46%, 48%, and 39%, respectively, whereas the 5-year overall survival rates of the subgroups of young patients, Group A and Group B, were 33% and 49%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that independent negative prognostic factors were as follows: tumor location (L), p=0.016, OR=0.795, 95%CI=0.659;0.959; larger tumor size, p=0.026, OR=1.727, 95%CI=1.067;2.797; resection margin, p<0.001, OR=2.167, 95%CI=1.751;2.682; tumor stage (T4), p<0.001, OR=2.572, 95%CI=1.709;3.870; and nodal involvement N1, p=0.005, OR=1.506, 95%CI=1.123;2.020; N2, p<0.001, OR=1.708, 95%CI=1.289;2.263; and N3, p<0.001, OR=2.986, 95%CI=2.314;3.854. Conclusion. The young age groups of patients were predominantly female and had a higher proportion of poorly differentiated and undifferentiated type of tumor; moreover, patients aged <35 years had a poor prognosis. In addition, gastric cancer can occur in patients less than 30 years old, and symptoms suggestive of gastric cancer should be investigated aggressively; therefore, a close scrutiny and monitoring should be done in younger patients especially those associated with high-risk factors which could indicate the presence of the disease at an early stage.

Gastric cancer in young patients: a separate entity with aggressive features and poor prognosis

PURPOSE

To investigate the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes between young and old patients with gastric cancer (GC), and further determine the role of young age in the prognosis of GC.

METHODS

Patients with stage I-III gastric adenocarcinomas undergoing curative surgery were enrolled, divided into young (aged 18-49 years, YG), middle-aged (50-59 years, MG), and old (≥ 60 years, OG) groups. Exclusion criteria were neoadjuvant therapy and history of malignant tumors. Clinicopathological features, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and recurrence patterns were compared among three groups.

RESULTS

1131 patients were finally included, with 270, 314, and 547 cases in the YG, MG, and OG, respectively. Compared to others, YG had higher proportion of female, middle-third gastric cancer, poor differentiation, N3b stage, and adjuvant chemotherapy. YG demonstrated poorer 5-year OS than MG (62.4% vs. 70.8%, P = 0.019), but better than OG (62.4% vs. 58.7%, P = 0.031). YG also suffered inferior 5-year DFS (75.2% vs. 82.8%, P = 0.040) compared with MG, and higher incidence of peritoneal recurrence than MG (15.1% vs. 5.2%, P < 0.001) and OG (15.1% vs. 4.1%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified young age as the independent prognostic factor for OS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.347, 95% CI 1.018-1.781, P = 0.037], DFS (HR = 1.601, 95% CI 1.079-2.376, P = 0.019), and peritoneal recurrence (HR = 2.936, 95% CI 1.505-5.726, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Young GC patients demonstrated aggressive features with poor prognosis and enhanced management may be warranted for this subgroup.

A nomogram for predicting cancer-specific survival in different age groups for operable gastric cancer: a population-based study

Background

The age thresholds for differentiating young and elderly patients are still under debate. This study aimed to evaluate the cut-off age for differentiating patients along with the prognostic value of age for operable gastric cancer (GC).

Methods

Patients diagnosed with resected gastric adenocarcinoma were identified from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (training cohort and internal validation cohort) and Liaoning Cancer Hospital (external validation cohort). Kaplan-Meier plots were used to compare cancer-specific survival (CSS) across different age groups. Univariate and multivariate analysis was conducted using a Cox regression model. Predictive ability of the nomogram was determined by the Harrell’s concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, and Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC).

Results

A total of 17,339 patients with GC were included. According to the univariate analysis results, CSS was similar among patients aged 20–69 years old, started to worsen for patients over the age of 70, and was the worst for patients older than 79 years in the training cohort. Thus, we further divided the age groups into 20–69, 70–79, and >79, and multivariate analysis showed that patients above 70 years of age had worse CSS. The nomogram was established based on the results of the multivariate analysis. The C-indexes for the training, internal, and external validation cohorts were 0.7531, 0.7344, and 0.7431, respectively.

Conclusions

This study showed that age had a relative predictive ability for CSS, 70 years should be the cut-off age, and age ≥70 years is an independent prognostic risk factor for GC patients who undergo surgery. These data highlight the importance of individualized treatment to improve the prognosis of patients with GC.