Prognostic Factors for Patients after Curative Resection for Proximal Gastric Cancer

The factors influencing the long-term survival of patients with proximal gastric cancer (PGC) after curative resection were investigated. Data from 171 patients who underwent curative resection for PGC were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped according to the clinicopathological factors and operative procedures. The tumor depth (T stage) and lymph node metastasis (pN stage) were graded according to the fifth edition of TNM Staging System published by UICC in 1997. The metastatic lymph node ratio (MLR) was divided into four levels: 0%, 30%. The data of survival rate were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method (log-rank test) and Cox regression model. The 5-year overall survival rate of 171 patients was 37.32%. The univariate analysis demonstrated that the survival time of the postoperative patients with PGC was related to tumor size (χ2=4.57, P=0.0325), gross type (χ2=21.38, P30% (χ2=13.34, P=0.0003), TNM Ⅲ (χ2=14.05, P=0.0002) or TNM Ⅳ stage (χ2=4.37, P=0.0366); and combining splenectomy was beneficial to the cases of T3 (χ2=5.68, P=0.0171) or MLR >30% (χ2=6.11, P=0.0134). It was concluded that MLR, pN stage, TNM stage, T stage, and gross type had advantages in providing a precise prognostic evaluation for patients undergoing curative resection for PGC, in which MLR was the most valuable index. TG and combining splenectomy were useful to improve the prognosis to patients with PGC of TNM Ⅲ/Ⅲ stage, serosa invasion, or extensive regional lymph node metastasis.

Proximal gastric cancer： lymph node metastatic patterns according to different T stages dictate surgical approach

Background As a common form of gastric cancer migration,lymph node metastasis largely affects the surgical treatment and prognosis of gastric cancer.Surgery is the fundamental curative option for gastric cancer that varies depending on different stages.The study aimed to compare the clinicopathological characteristics and lymph node metastatic patterns in patients of proximal gastric cancer with different T stages and investigate a reasonable radical gastrectomy approach in terms of the range of lymphadenectomy for proximal gastric cancer.Methods In our retrospective study,the data of 328 patients of proximal gastric cancer with different T stages were analyzed.By comparing the differences of lymph node metastatic rate and ratio,we investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and metastatic patterns of lymph nodes.Also,we were especially interested in the differences in survival rates between patients with and without No.5 and 6 group metastasis with the same TNM stage.Results The overall lymph node metastatic rate and ratio of advanced proximal gastric cancer were 73.4％ and 23.3％,respectively.The tumors of different T stages were statistically significant in size and differentiation degree （P ＜0.05）,multivariate analysis showed that the depth of tumor invasion was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis in proximal gastric cancer （RR,12.025; 95％ CI,2.326 to 62.157; P=0.003）.The overall survival rate of patients with No.5,6 group lymph node metastasis and those without was significantly different,but the differences in survival rates between patients with and without No.5 and 6 group metastasis with the same TNM stage were not statistically significant.Conclusions Different T stages in proximal gastric cancer showed different patterns and characteristics of lymph node metastasis.D2 lymphadenectomy in patients with early gastric cancer had little survival benefit because metastasis to level 2 nodes was rare.Therefore the range of the lymph node dissection in radical gastrectomy for earty gastric cancer was considered reasonable.Moreover,to meet the requirements of the lymph node dissection,total gastrectomy plus D2 lymphadenectomy or more are supposed to be applied for the advanced proximal gastric cancer patients.Precise T staging larqely determines the range of gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy.