Published online Dec 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i47.13325
Peer-review started: May 15, 2015
First decision: July 10, 2015
Revised: July 28, 2015
Accepted: October 12, 2015
Article in press: October 13, 2015
Published online: December 21, 2015
Processing time: 214 Days and 13.8 Hours
AIM: To analyze the relationship between lymph node metastasis and clinical pathology of early gastric cancer (EGC) in order to provide criteria for a feasible endoscopic therapy.
METHODS: Clinical data of the 525 EGC patients who underwent surgical operations between January 2009 and March 2014 in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical pathological features were compared between different EGC patients with or without lymph node metastasis, and investigated by univariate and multivariate analyses for possible relationships with lymph node metastasis.
RESULTS: Of the 2913 patients who underwent gastrectomy with lymph node dissection, 529 cases were pathologically proven to be EGC and 525 cases were enrolled in this study, excluding 4 cases of gastric stump carcinoma. Among 233 patients with mucosal carcinoma, 43 (18.5%) had lymph node metastasis. Among 292 patients with submucosal carcinoma, 118 (40.4%) had lymph nodemetastasis. Univariate analysis showed that gender, tumor size, invasion depth, differentiation type and lymphatic involvement correlated with a high risk of lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analysis revealed that gender (OR = 1.649, 95%CI: 1.091-2.492, P = 0.018), tumor size (OR = 1.803, 95%CI: 1.201-2.706, P = 0.004), invasion depth (OR = 2.566, 95%CI: 1.671-3.941, P = 0.000), histological differentiation (OR = 2.621, 95%CI: 1.624-4.230, P = 0.000) and lymphatic involvement (OR = 3.505, 95%CI: 1.590-7.725, P = 0.002) were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis. Comprehensive analysis showed that lymph node metastasis was absent in patients with tumor that was limited to the mucosa, size ≤ 2 cm, differentiated and without lymphatic involvement.
CONCLUSION: We propose an endoscopic therapy for EGC that is limited to the mucosa, size ≤ 2 cm, differentiated and without lymphatic involvement.
Core tip: Early gastric cancer (EGC) is defined as invasive gastric cancer that invades no more deeply than the submucosa, irrespective of lymph node metastasis. Gastrectomy/endoscopic resection can be used for the treatment of patients meeting appropriate criteria. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the relationship between lymph node metastasis and clinical pathological features of 525 EGC cases. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to confirm the risk factors for lymph node metastasis, and to establish indications for a feasible individualized endoscopic therapy for EGC.