Changing trends of clinicopathologic features and survival duration after surgery for gastric cancer in Northeast China

BACKGROUND Through analyzing the data from a single institution in Northeast China,this study revealed the possible clinicopathologic characteristics that influence the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer(GC).AIM To evaluate the changing trends of clinicopathologic features and survival duration after surgery in patients with GC in Northeast China,which is a highprevalence area of GC.METHODS The study analyzed the difference in clinicopathologic features and survival duration after surgery of 5887 patients who were histologically diagnosed with GC at the Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital.The study mainly analyzed the data in three periods,2000 to 2004(Phase 1),2005 to 2009(Phase 2),and 2010 to 2014(Phase 3).RESULTS Over time,the postoperative survival rate significantly increased from 2000 to 2014.In the past 15 years,compared with Phases 1 and 2,the tumor size was smaller in Phase 3(P<0.001),but the proportion of high-medium differentiated tumors increased(P<0.001).The proportion of early GC gradually increased from 3.9%to 14.4%(P<0.001).A surprising improvement was observed in the mean number of retrieved lymph nodes,ranging from 11.4 to 27.5(P<0.001).The overall 5-year survival rate increased from 24%in Phase 1 to 43.8%in Phase 3.Through multivariate analysis,it was found that age,tumor size,histologic type,tumor-node-metastasis stage,depth of invasion,lymph node metastasis,surgical approach,local infiltration,radical extent,number of retrieved lymph nodes,and age group were independent risk factors that influenced the prognosis of patients with GC.CONCLUSION The clinical features of GC in Northeast China changed during the observation period.The increasing detection of early GC and more standardized surgical treatment effectively prolonged lifetimes.

Prognostic significance of Borrmann type combined with vessel invasion status in advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Borrmann classification(types I-IV)for the detection of advanced gastric cancer has been accepted worldwide,and lymphatic and/or blood vessel invasion(LBVI)status is related to the poor prognosis after gastric cancer.AIM To evaluate the significance of Borrmann type combined with LBVI status in predicting the prognosis of advanced gastric cancer.METHODS We retrospectively studied the clinicopathological characteristics and long-term survival data of 2604 patients who were diagnosed with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to December 2013.Categorical variables were evaluated by the Pearson’sχ^2 test,the Kaplan-Meier method was used to identify differences in cumulative survival rates,and the Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis.RESULTS A total of 2604 patients were included in this study.The presence of LVBI[LBVI(+)]and Borrmann type(P=0.001),tumor location(P<0.001),tumor size(P<0.001),histological type(P<0.001),tumor invasion depth(P<0.001),number of metastatic lymph nodes(P<0.001),and surgical method(P<0.001)were significantly correlated with survival.When analyzing the combination of the Borrmann classification and LBVI status,we found that patients with Borrmann type Ⅲ disease and LBVI(+)had a similar 5-year survival rate to those with Borrmann IV+LBVI(-)(16.4%vs 13.1%,P=0.065)and those with Borrmann IV+LBVI(+)(16.4%vs 11.2%,P=0.112).Subgroup analysis showed that the above results were true for any pT stage and any tumor location.Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Borrmann classification(P=0.023),vascular infiltration(P<0.001),tumor size(P=0.012),pT stage(P<0.001),pN stage(P<0.001),and extent of radical surgery(P<0.001)were independent prognostic factors for survival.CONCLUSION Since patients with Borrmann Ⅲ disease and LBVI(+)have the same poor prognosis as those with Borrmann IV disease,more attention should be paid to patients with Borrmann Ⅲ disease and LBVI(+)during diagnosis and treatment,regardless of the pT stage and tumor location,to obtain better survival results.

Nomograms predicting prognosis of patients with pathological stages T1N2-3 and T3N0 gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Patients with pathological stages T1N2-3(pT1N2-3)and pT3N0 gastric cancer(GC)have not been routinely included in the target population for postoperative chemotherapy according to the Japanese Gastric Cancer Treatment Guideline,and their prognosis is significantly different.AIM To identify the high-risk patients after radical surgery by analyzing biomarkers and clinicopathological features and construct prognostic models for them.METHODS A total of 459 patients with pT1N2-3/pT3N0 GC were retrospectively selected for the study.The Chi-square test was used to analyze the differences in the clinicopathological features between the pT1N2-3 and pT3N0 groups.The Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank test were used to analyze overall survival(OS).The independent risk factors for patient prognosis were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses based on the Cox proportional hazards regression model.The cutoff values of continuous variables were identified by receiver operating characteristic curve.The nomogram models were constructed with R studio.RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in OS between the pT1N2-3 and pT3N0 groups(P=0.374).Prealbumin(P=0.040),carcino-embryonic antigen(CEA)(P=0.021),and metastatic lymph node ratio(mLNR)(P=0.035)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the pT1N2-3 group.Age(P=0.039),body mass index(BMI)(P=0.002),and gastrectomy(P<0.001)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the pT3N0 group.The area under the curve values of the nomogram models for predicting the 5-year prognosis of the pT1N2-3 group and pT3N0 group were 0.765 and 0.699,respectively.CONCLUSION Nomogram model combining prealbumin,CEA,and mLNR levels can be used to predict the prognosis of pT1N2-3 GC.Nomogram model combining age,BMI,and gastrectomy can be used to predict the prognosis of pT3N0 GC.

Prognostic significance of serum inflammation indices for different tumor infiltrative pattern types of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Inflammatory indices are considered to be potential prognostic biomarkers for patients with gastric cancer(GC).However,there is no evidence defining the prognostic significance of inflammatory indices for GC with different tumor infiltrative pattern(INF)types.AIM To evaluate the significance of inflammatory indices and INF types in predicting the prognosis of patients with GC.METHODS A total of 962 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy were retrospectively selected for this study.Patients were categorized into the expansive growth type(INFa),the intermediate type(INFb),and the infiltrative growth type(INFc)groups.The cutoff values of inflammatory indices were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curves.The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used to analyze overall survival(OS).The chi-square test was used to analyze the association between inflammatory indices and clinical characteristics.The independent risk factors for prognosis in each group were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses based on logistic regression.Nomogram models were constructed by R studio.RESULTS The INFc group had the worst OS(P<0.001).The systemic immune-inflammation index(P=0.039)and metastatic lymph node ratio(mLNR)(P=0.003)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the INFa group.The platelet-lymphocyte ratio(PLR)(P=0.018),age(P=0.026),body mass index(P=0.003),and postsurgical tumor node metastasis(pTNM)stage(P<0.001)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the INFb group.The PLR(P=0.021),pTNM stage(P=0.028),age(P=0.021),and mLNR(P=0.002)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the INFc group.The area under the curve of the nomogram model for predicting 5-year survival in the INFa group,INFb group,and INFc group was 0.787,0.823,and 0.781,respectively.CONCLUSION The outcome of different INF types GC patients could be assessed by nomograms based on different inflammatory indices and clinicopathologic features.

Metastatic lymph nodes and prognosis assessed by the number of retrieved lymph nodes in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND The prognostic value of quantitative assessments of the number of retrieved lymph nodes(RLNs)in gastric cancer(GC)patients needs further study.AIM To discuss how to obtain a more accurate count of metastatic lymph nodes(MLNs)based on RLNs in different pT stages and then to evaluate patient prognosis.METHODS This study retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent GC radical surgery and D2/D2+LN dissection at the Cancer Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2011 to May 2017.Locally weighted smoothing was used to analyze the relationship between RLNs and the number of MLNs.Restricted cubic splines were used to analyze the relationship between RLNs and hazard ratios(HRs),and X-tile was used to determine the optimal cutoff value for RLNs.Patient survival was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test.Finally,HRs and 95%confidence intervals were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models to analyze independent risk factors associated with patient outcomes.RESULTS A total of 4968 patients were included in the training cohort,and 11154 patients were included in the validation cohort.The smooth curve showed that the number of MLNs increased with an increasing number of RLNs,and a nonlinear relationship between RLNs and HRs was observed.X-tile analysis showed that the optimal number of RLNs for pT1-pT4 stage GC patients was 26,31,39,and 45,respectively.A greater number of RLNs can reduce the risk of death in patients with pT1,pT2,and pT4 stage cancers but may not reduce the risk of death in patients with pT3 stage cancer.Multivariate analysis showed that RLNs were an independent risk factor associated with the prognosis of patients with pT1-pT4 stage cancer(P=0.044,P=0.037,P=0.003,P<0.001).CONCLUSION A greater number of RLNs may not benefit the survival of patients with pT3 stage disease but can benefit the survival of patients with pT1,pT2,and pT4 stage disease.For the pT1,pT2,and pT4 stages,it is recommended to retrieve 26,31 and 45 LNs,respectively.