Survival prognostic analysis of laparoscopic D2 radical resection for locally advanced gastric cancer: A multicenter cohort study

BACKGROUND With the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques,the use of laparoscopic D2 radical surgery for the treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer(GC)has gradually increased.However,the effect of this procedure on survival and prognosis remains controversial.This study evaluated the survival and prognosis of patients receiving laparoscopic D2 radical resection for the treatment of locally advanced GC to provide more reliable clinical evidence,guide clinical decision-making,optimize treatment strategies,and improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients.METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed.Clinicopathological data from 652 patients with locally advanced GC in our hospitals from December 2013 to December 2023 were collected.There were 442 males and 210 females.The mean age was 57±12 years.All patients underwent a laparoscopic D2 radical operation for distal GC.The patients were followed up in the outpatient department and by telephone to determine their tumor recurrence,metastasis,and survival.The follow-up period ended in December 2023.Normally distributed data are expressed as the mean±SD,and normally distributed data are expressed as M(Q1,Q3)or M(range).Statistical data are expressed as absolute numbers or percentages;theχ^(2) test was used for comparisons between groups,and the Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test was used for comparisons of rank data.The life table method was used to calculate the survival rate,the Kaplan-Meier method was used to construct survival curves,the log rank test was used for survival analysis,and the Cox risk regression model was used for univariate and multifactor analysis.RESULTS The median overall survival(OS)time for the 652 patients was 81 months,with a 10-year OS rate of 46.1%.Patients with TNM stages II and III had 10-year OS rates of 59.6%and 37.5%,respectively,which were significantly different(P<0.05).Univariate analysis indicated that factors such as age,maximum tumor diameter,tumor diffe-rentiation grade(low to undifferentiated),pathological TNM stage,pathological T stage,pathological N stage(N2,N3),and postoperative chemotherapy significantly influenced the 10-year OS rate for patients with locally advanced GC following laparoscopic D2 radical resection for distal stomach cancer[hazard ratio(HR):1.45,1.64,1.45,1.64,1.37,2.05,1.30,1.68,3.08,and 0.56 with confidence intervals(CIs)of 1.15-1.84,1.32-2.03,1.05-1.77,1.62-2.59,1.05-1.61,1.17-2.42,2.15-4.41,and 0.44-0.70,respectively;P<0.05].Multifactor analysis revealed that a tumor diameter greater than 4 cm,low tumor differentiation,and pathological TNM stage III were independent risk factors for the 10-year OS rate in these patients(HR:1.48,1.44,1.81 with a 95%CI:1.19-1.84).Additionally,postoperative chemotherapy emerged as an independent protective factor for the 10-year OS rate(HR:0.57,95%CI:0.45-0.73;P<0.05).CONCLUSION A maximum tumor diameter exceeding 4 cm,low tumor differentiation,and pathological TNM stage III were identified as independent risk factors for the 10-year OS rate in patients with locally advanced GC following laparoscopic D2 radical resection for distal GC.Conversely,postoperative chemotherapy was found to be an independent protective factor for the 10-year OS rate in these patients.

Gastric cancer: Current status of lymph node dissection

D2 procedure has been accepted in Far East as the standard treatment for both early(EGC) and advanced gastric cancer(AGC) for many decades. Recently EGC has been successfully treated with endoscopy by endoscopic mucosal resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection, when restricted or extended Gotoda's criteria can be applied and D1+ surgery is offered only to patients not fitted for less invasive treatment. Furthermore, two randomised controlled trials(RCTs) have been demonstrating the non inferiority of minimally invasive technique as compared to standard open surgery for the treatment of early cases and recently the feasibility of adequate D1+ dissection has been demonstrated also for the robot assisted technique. In case of AGC the debate on the extent of nodal dissection has been open for many decades. While D2 gastrectomy was performed as the standard procedure in eastern countries, mostly based on observational and retrospective studies, in the west the Medical Research Council(MRC), Dutch and Italian RCTs have been conducted to show a survival benefit of D2 over D1 with evidence based medicine. Unfortunately both the MRC and the Dutch trials failed to show a survival benefit after the D2 procedure, mostly due to the significant increase of postoperative morbidity and mortality, which was referred to splenopancreatectomy. Only 15 years after the conclusion of its accrual, the Dutch trial could report a significant decrease of recur-rence after D2 procedure. Recently the long term survival analysis of the Italian RCT could demonstrate a benefit for patients with positive nodes treated with D2 gastrectomy without splenopancreatectomy. As nowadays also in western countries D2 procedure can be done safely with pancreas preserving technique and without preventive splenectomy, it has been suggested in several national guidelines as the recommended procedure for patients with AGC.

Spleen-preserving splenic lymph node dissection in radical total gastrectomy

Radical gastrectomy has been recognized as the standard surgical treatment for advanced gastric cancer, and essentially applied in a wide variety of clinical settings. The thoroughness of lymph node dissection is an important prognostic factor for patients with advanced gastric cancer. Splenic lymph node dissection is required during D2 radical gastrectomy for upper stomach cancer. This is often accompanied by removal of the spleen in the past few decades. A growing number of investigators believe, however, that the spleen plays an important role as an immune organ, and thus they encourage the application of a spleen- preserving method for splenic hilum lymph node dissection.

腹腔镜D2淋巴结清扫胃癌根治术术后并发症及危险因素的分析

目的分析腹腔镜D2淋巴结清扫胃癌根治术术后并发症及危险因素。方法选取2018年10月至2019年12月于本院行腹腔镜D2淋巴结清扫胃癌根治术治疗的胃癌患者109例为研究对象,根据患者术后并发症发生情况分为并发症发生组(n=21)与未发生组(n=88),统计两组临床资料,包括年龄、性别、有无腹部手术史等,分析可能导致行腹腔镜D2淋巴结清扫胃癌根治术患者术后发生并发症的危险因素。结果入选109例行腹腔镜D2淋巴结清扫胃癌根治术患者中,21例术后发生并发症,占19.27%,其中吻合口瘘4例,肠梗阻2例,腹腔出血7例,腹腔感染1例,术后胃排空障碍3例,淋巴瘘2例,肠坏死1例,切口感染1例。两组年龄、性别、有无既往腹部手术史比较差异无统计学意义;两组肿瘤TNM分期、淋巴结数目、BMI、吻合方式比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。经多项非条件Logistic回归分析检验结果显示,肿瘤TNM分期Ⅲ期、淋巴结数目≥40枚、BMI≥24 kg/m^(2)、BillrothⅡ式吻合可能是导致腹腔镜D2淋巴结清扫胃癌根治术患者术后发生并发症的危险因素(OR>1,P<0.05)。结论肿瘤TNM分期Ⅲ期、淋巴结数目≥40枚、BMI≥24 kg/m^(2)、BillrothⅡ式吻合可能是导致腹腔镜D2淋巴结清扫胃癌根治术患者术后发生并发症的危险因素,临床于手术过程中需积极做好应对措施,以降低并发症发生率。