Characteristics of gastric cancer recurrence five or more years after curative gastrectomy

Objective： To investigate the characteristics of recurrences that occurred 5 or more years after curative resection for gastric cancer.Methods： We analyzed recurrences among 1,299 patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative operations at the Department of Surgery, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital between September 1998 and December 2002. Recurrences were classified as within 2 years （early）, 2-5 years （intermediate）, and more than 5 years （late） after gastrectomy. The clinicopathologic findings of the patients with late recurrence were compared with those of patients in the other two recurrence groups, with special reference to the patterns of recurrence. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, incorporating factors such as operation type, T-stage, N-stage, stage, lymphatic invasion, neural invasion, histology, tumor size, and recurrence site.Results： At the time of last follow-up, recurrence occurred in 266 （20.5%） patients. Recurrence times were classified as 〈2 years （182 patients）, 2-5 years （61 patients）, or 〉5 years （23 patients）. The late recurrence rate was 8.6%. The occurrence of recurrence 〉5 years after gastrectomy was significantly correlated with age, operation type, T-stage, N-stage, stage, lymphatic invasion, neural invasion, histology, tumor size, location and recurrence site （P〈0.05）. The main recurrence patterns in the 23 patients with late recurrence were locoregional metastasis （10 patients, 43.5%）, peritoneal seeding （8 patients, 34.8%）, hematogenous metastasis （2 patients, 8.7%）, and multiple metastasis （3 patients, 13.0%）. A multivariate analysis showed that larger tumor size and younger age were independent prognostic factors for late recurrence. Additionally, locoregional and peritoneal recurrences were significantly more common than hematogenous recurrences. Conclusions： Although late recurrence was uncommon, younger age and larger tumor size were associated with high risk. Follow-up surveillance is recommended for locoregional and peritoneal metastasis.

Towards curative therapy in gastric cancer:Faraway, so close!

Although recent diagnostic and therapeutic advances have substantially improved the survival of patients with gastric cancer(GC), the overall prognosis is still poor. Surgery is the only curative treatment and should be performed in experienced centers. Due to high relapse following surgery, complementary and systemic treatment aimed at eradicating micrometastasis should be performed in most cases. Cytotoxic treatments are effective in downstaging locally advanced cancer, but different sensitivities and toxicities probably exist in different GC subtypes. Current treatment protocols are based primarily on clinical data and histological features, but molecular biomarkers that would allow for the prediction of treatment responses are urgently needed. Understanding how host factors are responsible for inter-individual variability of drug response or toxicity will also contribute to the development of more effective and less toxic treatments.

Is combined extra-hepatic bile-duct resection justified for advanced gallbladder carcinoma?

Background:Whether the extra-hepatic bile duct(EHBD)should be routinely resected for gallbladder carcinoma(GBC)remains controversial.The current study aimed to determine the clinical impact of combined EHBD resection during curative surgery for advanced GBC.Methods:In total,213 patients who underwent curative surgery for T2,T3 or T4 GBC were enrolled.The clinicopathological features were compared between the patients treated with EHBD resection and those without EHBD resection.Meanwhile,univariable and multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression models were used to identify risk factors for overall survival(OS).Results:Among the 213 patients identified,87(40.8%)underwent combined EHBD resection.Compared with patients without EHBD resection,patients with EHBD resection suffered more post-operative complications(33.3%vs.21.4%,P=0.046).However,the median OS of the EHBD resection group was longer than that of the non-EHBD resection group(25 vs.11 months,P=0.008).Subgroup analyses were also performed according to tumor(T)category and lymph-node metastasis.The median OS was significantly longer in the EHBD resection group than in the non-EHBD resection group for patients with T3 lesion(15 vs.7 months,P=0.002),T4 lesion(11 vs.6 months,P=0.021)or lymph-node metastasis(12 vs.7 months,P<0.001).No survival benefit of EHBD resection was observed in GBC patients with T2 lesion or without lymph-node metastasis.T category,lymph-node metastasis,margin status,pre-operative CA19-9 level and EHBD resection were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS of patients with advanced GBC(all P values<0.05).Conclusions EHBD resection can independently affect the OS in advanced GBC.For GBC patients with T3 lesion,T4 lesion and lymph-node metastasis,combined EHBD resection is justified and may improve OS.