Published online Jan 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i2.571
Peer-review started: May 22, 2014
First decision: June 10, 2014
Revised: July 9, 2014
Accepted: July 25, 2014
Article in press: July 25, 2014
Published online: January 14, 2015
Processing time: 242 Days and 0.4 Hours
AIM: To analyze predictive factors for lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer.
METHODS: We analyzed 1104 patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) who underwent a gastrectomy with lymph-node dissection from May 2003 through July 2011. The clinicopathologic factors and molecular markers were assessed as predictors for lymph node metastasis. Molecular markers such as microsatellite instability, human mutL homolog 1, p53, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) were included. The χ2 test and logistic regression analysis were used to determine clinicopathologic parameters.
RESULTS: Lymph node metastasis was observed in 104 (9.4%) of 1104 patients. Among 104 cases of lymph node positive patients, 24 patients (3.8%) were mucosal cancers and 80 patients (16.7%) were submucosal. According to histologic evaluation, the number of lymph node metastasis found was 4 (1.7%) for well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, 45 (11.3%) for moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, 36 (14.8%) for poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, and 19 (8.4%) for signet ring cell carcinoma. Of 690 EGC cases, 77 cases (11.2%) showed EGFR overexpression. HER2 overexpression was present in 110 cases (27.1%) of 406 EGC patients. With multivariate analysis, female gender (OR = 2.281, P = 0.009), presence of lymphovascular invasion (OR = 10.950, P < 0.0001), diameter (≥ 20 mm, OR = 3.173, P = 0.01), and EGFR overexpression (OR = 2.185, P = 0.044) were independent risk factors for lymph node involvement.
CONCLUSION: Female gender, tumor size, lymphovascular invasion and EGFR overexpression were predictive risk factors for lymph node metastasis in EGC.
Core tip: We analyzed the factors related lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer. The factors were not only clinicopathologic finding but also molecular biomarkers. It is unique because of the first study about biomarker related with metastatic lymph node in early gastric cancer.