Published online Aug 7, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i29.6736
Peer-review started: April 15, 2016
First decision: May 12, 2016
Revised: May 20, 2016
Accepted: June 29, 2016
Article in press: June 29, 2016
Published online: August 7, 2016
Processing time: 105 Days and 22.9 Hours
AIM: To identify clinicopathological factors predictive of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in intramucosal poorly differentiated early gastric cancer (EGC), and further to expand the possibility of using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the treatment of intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC.
METHODS: Data for 81 surgically treated patients with intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC were collected, and the association between the clinicopathological factors and the presence of LNM was retrospectively analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Several clinicopathologic factors were investigated to identify predictive factors for lymph nodes metastasis, including gender, age, family history of gastric cancer, number of tumors, tumor location, ulceration, tumor size, macroscopic type, lymphatic vessel involvement, and signet-ring-cell component.
RESULTS: Tumor size (OR = 7.273, 95%CI: 1.246-29.918, P = 0.042), lymphatic vessel involvement (OR = 42.219, 95%CI: 1.923-97.052, P = 0.018) and signet-ring-cell component (OR = 17.513, 95%CI: 1.647-77.469, P = 0.034) that were significantly associated with LNM by univariate analysis, were found to be significant and independent risk factors for LNM by multivariate analysis. However, gender, age, family history of gastric cancer, number, location, ulceration and macroscopic type of tumor were found not to be associated with LNM. Of these 81 patients diagnosed with intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC, 7 (8.6%) had LNM. The LNM rates were 9.1%, 22.2% and 57.1%, respectively, in cases with one, two and three of the risk factors. There was no LNM in 54 patients without the three risk clinicopathological factors.
CONCLUSION: Tumor size, lymphatic vessel involvement and signet-ring-cell component are independently associated with the presence of LNM in intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC. Thus, these three risk factors may be used as a simple criterion to expand the possibility of using ESD for the treatment of intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC.
Core tip: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has recently been practiced on a differentiated type of early gastric cancer (EGC). However, there is no clear evidence for endoscopic treatment of intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC. We carried out this retrospectively study to determine the clinicopathological factors that are predictive of lymph node metastasis in intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC, and to guide the individual application of ESD in a suitable subgroup of patients with intramucosal poorly differentiated EGC.