Histological evaluation for chemotherapeutic responses of metastatic lymph nodes in gastric cancer

Table 1 Patients’ characteristics (n = 28) n (%)

Variables
Age (yr) [mean ± SD, (range)]	60 ± 10.7, (28-81)
Sex
Male	16 (57)
Female	12 (43)
Tumor location
Upper	9 (32)
Middle	15 (54)
Lower	4 (14)
Histological type
Differentiated	10 (36)
Undifferentiated	18 (64)
Pre-therapeutic staging
cStage III	15 (54)
cStage IV	13 (46)
Clinical response
CR	0 (0)
PR	10 (36)
SD	16 (57)
PD	2 (7)
Post-therapeutic T status
ypT2	1 (4)
ypT3	11 (39)
ypT4	16 (57)
Post-therapeutic N status
ypN0	1 (4)
ypN1	1 (4)
ypN2	4 (14)
ypN3	22 (79)
Post-therapeutic M status
ypM0	9 (32)
ypM1	19 (68)
Post-therapeutic staging
ypStage II	2 (7)
ypStage III	7 (25)
ypStage IV	19 (68)
TRG in primary tumors
G1a	0 (0)
G1b	2 (7)
G2	6 (21)
G3	20 (71)
Preoperative chemotherapy
S-1 alone	5 (18)
S-1 plus cisplatin	16 (57)
S-1 plus docetaxel	7 (25)
Operative procedure
Distal gastrectomy	7 (25)
Total gastrectomy	21 (68)
Postoperative chemotherapy
With	27 (96)
Without	1 (4)

CR: Complete response; PR: Partial response; SD: Stable disease; PD: progressive disease.

Table 2 Comparison of tumor regression grade in primary tumors n (%)

Variables		TRG in primary tumors			P value
		G1b (n = 2)	G2 (n = 6)	G3 (n = 20)
TRG in MLNs	G1a	9 (2)	6 (1)	7 (2)	< 0.0001
	G1b	2 (0)	22 (5)	24 (5)
	G2	2 (0)	17 (4)	44 (10)
	G3	7 (2)	45 (10)	253 (60)

TRG: Tumor regression grade; MLNs: Metastatic lymph nodes.

Table 3 Correlation between clinical response and histological evaluation n (%)

Variables		Clinical response
		CR (n = 2)	PR (n = 4)	SD (n = 2)	No applicable target LNs (n = 3)
TRG in MLNs	G1a	1 (0)	4 (2)	1 (0)	0 (0)
	G1b	0 (0)	23 (10)	0 (0)	0 (0)
	G2	2 (1)	20 (9)	6 (3)	0 (0)
	G3	15 (7)	79 (35)	51 (23)	24 (11)

CR: Complete response; PR: Partial response; SD: Stable disease; TRG: Tumor regression grade; MLNs: Metastatic lymph nodes.