This study aims to compare the short-term outcomes after minimally invasive gastrectomy between obese and non-obese population. Our analysis included data of 713 patients from ten departments of surgery. They were divided in non-obese group and obese group with 617 and 96 patients respectively. Significant differences were found in terms of mortality at 90 days (obese: 0 vs non-obese: 27, p = 0.037). Intraoperative data showed no significant differences in terms of conversion (obese: 4 vs non-obese: 43, p = 0.303). About postoperative complications, significant differences between the two groups were found only in terms of surgical infection (obese: 13 vs non-obese: 38, p = 0.009). About oncological outcomes, no differences were found about retrieved lymph nodes (obese: 30.71 ± 18.44 vs non-obese: 32.93 ± 17.62, p = 0.596) and about surgical radicality (R0) (obese:94 vs non-obese:594, p = 0.415). Obesity doesn't worsen postoperative outcomes and minimally invasive gastrectomy in obese patients is related to a lower postoperative mortality.

Minimally invasive total gastrectomy (MTG) requires advanced surgical skills and is still associated with a higher rate of postoperative complications than other types of gastrectomy. Additionally, the short-term outcomes of MTG compared to open total gastrectomy (OTG) for locally advanced gastric cancer have yet to be demonstrated.

We retrospectively compared short-term outcomes between MTG and OTG for locally advanced gastric and esophago-gastric junctional cancer, performed at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo, during the period from January 2017 to March 2024. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to adjust for potential confounders.

In total, 359 patients were included, with 190 remaining after PSM, resulting in 95 in each group. The MTG group experienced a significantly lower incidence of postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo classification (C-D) ≥3 than the OTG group (3.2% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.026). Moreover, the rate of postoperative intra-abdominal infectious complications (IAIC) was significantly lower in the MTG than in the OTG group (C-D ≥ 2; 7.4% vs. 17.9%, p = 0.029 and C-D ≥ 3; 2.1% vs. 9.5%, p = 0.030, respectively). Subgroup analyses showed the odds ratios for IAIC with C-D ≥ 2 to be more favorable for the MTG than the OTG group in male patients, those ≥70 years of age, patients without esophageal invasion, those without neoadjuvant chemotherapy, those diagnosed with cT≥3, and patients not undergoing combined resection of other organs except for the gallbladder or spleen.

MTG for locally advanced gastric cancer may provide improved short-term outcomes compared to OTG, when performed or supervised by surgeons with high proficiency in laparoscopic techniques.

Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS) has recently established a conceptional definition of sarcopenia, which incorporated muscle strength, mass, and muscle-specific strength as three components of sarcopenia. The present study aimed to investigate the value of sarcopenia defined by the GLIS consensus in predicting the postoperative outcomes.

Clinical data of 1654 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer were prospectively collected. Muscle strength was measured by the grip strength test. Muscle mass was measured by calculating skeletal muscle index (SMI) using abdominal computed tomography images. Muscle-specific strength was determined by the ratio of grip strength to SMI. Sarcopenia was diagnosed by having low muscle-specific strength (criteria 1), or low muscle strength plus low muscle mass (criteria 2), or low muscle strength plus either low muscle mass or low muscle-specific strength (criteria 3).

The incidence of sarcopenia identified by criteria 1, 2, and 3 were 24.2%, 17.0%, and 32.5%, respectively. All three criteria showed significant association with postoperative total complications, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). However, criteria 1 showed no significant association with severe complications. Criteria 2 did not remain significant in predicting DFS in the multivariate analyses. Criteria 3 showed the largest Youden index and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in predicting total complications, 3-year and 5-year mortality, and low physical performance.

Sarcopenia defined by low muscle strength plus either low muscle mass or low muscle-specific strength showed optimal predictive value for postoperative outcomes in patients with gastric cancer.

The present study aims to investigate the prognostic impact of low physical performance in elderly patients undergoing radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer, and to explore the risk factors for low physical performance in these patients.

Clinical data of 840 elderly patients (≥ 65 years) who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer were prospectively collected. Physical performance was assessed by 6-m usual gait speed test. Muscle strength was measured by grip strength test and chair rise test. Body composition was analyzed by preoperative computed tomography (CT).

Low physical performance was associated with higher incidence of ileus and severe complications after surgery. Low physical performance was independently associated with worse overall survival and disease-free survival after adjusting for age, gender, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and histological differentiation of tumor. Physical performance had a significant correlation with skeletal muscle index (SMI), skeletal muscle density (SMD), chair rise time, and grip strength, but not with fat mass. Females, nutritional risk, chair rise time ≥ 15 s, low grip strength, low SMD, and higher TNM stage of tumor were independent risk factors for low physical performance in elderly patients with gastric cancer.

Low physical performance was associated with worse postoperative outcomes in elderly patients undergoing radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Aging itself was not independently associated with low physical performance. Nutritional support, exercise strategies aiming to improve muscle strength and density, and anti-tumor treatments to reduce tumor burden could be beneficial to improve physical performance, which could further improve the prognosis in elderly patients with gastric cancer.

The debate over the optimal reconstruction technique following proximal gastrectomy continues. Transhiatal tunnel valvuloplasty (ThTV) is a novel esophagogastrostomy method. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of ThTV.

A cohort with upper early gastric cancer or Siewert type II tumors who underwent laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy was retrospectively reviewed in a single center. The ThTV esophagogastrostomy procedure involved placing a lengthy gastric tube into the lower mediastinum and firmly binding it to the esophagus. Demographic and surgical morbidity data were extracted from the medical records.

Between March 2023 and November 2023, 15 patients underwent laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy using ThTV. The cohort consisted of 13 males and 2 females, with a median age of 68 years (range 49-77). The median operative time was 213 minutes (range 171-370). The median times for tunnel construction and anastomosis were 7 minutes (range 4-30) and 17 minutes (range 10-29), respectively. The median tumor size was 2.0 cm (range 1.0-5.0), and the median number of lymph nodes dissected was 29 (range 13-49). TNM staging revealed 9 cases of stage I, 5 cases of stage II, and 1 case of stage III. As of January 1, 2025, the median follow-up duration was 16.8 months (range 13.8-22.2). No tumor recurrence was observed. No patients reported severe reflux symptoms (Visick score ≥III). Gastroscopy confirmed reflux esophagitis (Los Angeles classification Grade A) in one patient, and an anastomotic stricture requiring endoscopic balloon dilation was observed in another patient.

Transhiatal tunnel valvuloplasty is a simple and reliable anti-reflux method following laparoscopic proximal gastric surgery. The further verification of the esophageal function is warranted.

Accurate preoperative staging of gastric cancer (GC) depends on effective diagnostic methods. Enhanced computed tomography (enhanced-CT) is a widely used and reliable preoperative assessment tool for GC, Double Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (DCEUS) can display the structure and layers of the gastric wall more accurately, and has high sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP).

The present study aims to conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis comparing the preoperative T-staging accuracy of DCEUS and enhanced-CT.

A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to identify eligible articles from inception to February 19, 2024. The study included both prospective and retrospective studies involving patients with GC who underwent DCEUS or enhanced-CT. This encompassed studies utilizing comparative diagnostic test accuracy (CDTA) with both DCEUS and enhanced-CT, as well as studies employing single diagnostic test accuracy (SDTA) with either DCEUS or enhanced-CT alone. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment Of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-C (QUADAS-C) and Assessment Of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool. The quality of evidence for each outcome was assessed using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation).

A total of 39 studies involving 6,374 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Among these, 3 studies (319 patients) directly compared dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCEUS) and enhanced computed tomography (CT), while 31 studies (5,180 patients) evaluated enhanced CT alone, and 5 studies (875 patients) assessed DCEUS alone. For the direct comparison studies (CDTA), DCEUS demonstrated higher sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) for T1-T4 staging compared to enhanced CT, with moderate to low certainty of evidence. Specifically, DCEUS showed superior performance in detecting early-stage (T1) and advanced-stage (T4) tumors. Enhanced CT, while effective, had lower sensitivity across all stages, particularly for T1 tumors. In the single-modality studies (SDTA), DCEUS consistently showed higher sensitivity for T2-T4 staging compared to enhanced CT, with comparable specificity. However, the certainty of evidence for indirect comparisons was very low, highlighting the need for further high-quality comparative studies. Overall, DCEUS appears to be a promising modality for gastric cancer T staging, particularly for early-stage detection, but the limited number of direct comparative studies underscores the need for more robust evidence.

Current evidence indicates that DCEUS significantly outperforms enhanced-CT in terms of SE and diagnostic accuracy for preoperative T-staging of GC, while maintaining comparable SP. However, these findings require further validation through rigorous studies with larger sample sizes and improved methodological quality.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally invasive treatment for early gastric cancer; additional treatment may be recommended for patients in whom resection is not curative per the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guidelines. The aim of this study was to assess treatment outcomes of ESD for gastric neoplasia, with a focus on cases of non-curative resection.

This was a retrospective study of all individuals undergoing ESD for the treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma or dysplasia in a high-volume tertiary care center in the United States. Data on patient demographic characteristics, clinical history, lesion characteristics, and procedural and clinical outcomes were collected from the electronic medical record.

Among 82 cases undergoing ESD for the management of gastric neoplasia, 32 cases resulted in non-curative resection. 20 of these non-curative cases did not get additional treatment, among which recurrence occurred in two cases with positive horizontal margins only. These patients did not show lymph node metastasis and underwent further endoscopic or surgical resection. There was no recurrence in 11 cases with undifferentiated carcinomas of ≤2 cm in size.

Although this study was limited by its retrospective design, small sample size, and follow-up duration, our findings suggest that a risk-adapted strategy could be employed for certain patients undergoing non-curative ESD per American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guidelines, with close follow-up instead of routine surgery in select cases with favorable features. Further studies are needed to refine the criteria for additional treatment after non-curative ESD in Western populations.

Visceral obesity has been increasingly recognized as a potential risk factor for surgical complications in gastric cancer surgery, yet its impact on lymphadenectomy during laparoscopic gastrectomy remains undefined. This study aimed to investigate the influence of visceral fat area (VFA) on intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) during lymphadenectomy in laparoscopic gastrectomy.

A post hoc analysis was performed using data from two previous prospective studies ([NCT02327481] and [NCT01609309]). The patients were divided into high and low VFA groups based on preoperative computed tomography images at the umbilical level. All iAEs were reviewed from the surgical videos and graded using ClassIntra. The factors influencing iAEs were identified, and predictive models for iAEs were constructed.

This study included 490 patients, with 244 and 246 patients in the high and low VFA groups, respectively. Restricted cubic splines demonstrated a positive linear association between VFA and iAEs. Compared with the low VFA group, the high VFA group exhibited a significantly higher incidence of iAEs (29% vs. 12%, p < 0.001), primarily in the infrapyloric (9.0% vs. 2.0%) and suprapancreatic (23.4% vs. 9.3%) regions and higher rates of ClassIntra I-III. Multivariate logistic regression identified high VFA as an independent risk factor for iAEs (hazard ratio [HR] 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22 - 3.83). Based on the VFA, nomograms were developed to predict iAEs (training area under the curve [AUC] 0.722, validation AUC 0.730). Meanwhile, a web-based calculator was developed to facilitate clinical application.

High preoperative VFA is independently correlated with iAEs after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Nomograms based on VFA showed potential in predicting iAEs, helping identify high-risk patients early and facilitating tailored perioperative management.

Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) and distal gastrectomy (DG) are widely utilized surgical approaches for the treatment of gastric cancer. In this study, we employed questionnaire surveys and follow-up assessments to examine the effects of these surgical procedures on postoperative quality of life and pancreatic exocrine function in patients with stage T1 middle-third gastric cancer. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze clinical and follow-up data from 63 gastric cancer patients who underwent distal gastrectomy and 21 who underwent pylorus-preserving gastrectomy at Nanjing University Drum Tower Hospital between January 2019 and January 2023. Patients were categorized into two groups: distal gastrectomy (n = 63) and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (n = 21). The primary outcome measure was postoperative quality of life assessed at 1 year using the Gastric Resection Syndrome Assessment Scale, Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GSCI), and Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency Questionnaire (PEI-Q). Secondary outcomes included intraoperative and postoperative conditions, incidence of complications, and changes in nutritional status at 6 and 12 months post-surgery. Compared to the DG group, the PPG group exhibited fewer lymph node dissections [20 (17, 26) vs. 25 (19.5, 32), Z = 2.013, P = 0.052], shorter distances from the upper resection margin [2.0 (1.3, 3.0) vs. 3.5 (2.5, 4.75), Z = 4.664, P = 0.0002], and shorter distances from the lower resection margin [2.0 (1.4, 3.0) vs. 4.5 (4.0, 5.5), Z = 6.691, P < 0.001]. However, they experienced longer operative times [270 (240, 300) vs. 220 (187.5, 257.5), Z = 4.133, P = 0.0002], postoperative gas discharge times [4 (4, 5) vs. 4 (3, 4), Z = 5.96, P < 0.0001], and postoperative hospital stays [12 (10, 14) vs. 10 (9, 12), Z = 1.493, P = 0.0098]. One year postoperatively, patients in the PPG group demonstrated superior quality of life scores compared to the DG group in terms of the dumping symptom scale [1.0 (1.0, 1.33) vs. 2.5 (1.75, 2.5), Z = 7.192, P < 0.001], amount of food intake per meal [6 (6, 7) vs. 6 (4, 6), Z = 4.724, P = 0.0008], and meal quality scale [4.0 (3.67, 4.0) vs. 2.33 (1.67, 2.67), Z = 11.554, P < 0.0001]. Additionally, preoperative serum albumin levels were higher in the PPG group compared to the DG group [41.7 (40.3, 43) vs. 40.2 (39.15, 41.3), Z = 2.916, P = 0.006], and the PPG group had a lower rate of postoperative chemotherapy requirement (P = 0.024). Compared to distal gastrectomy (DG), pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) results in fewer dumping symptoms and an improved quality of life for patients following surgery. This makes PPG a highly favorable surgical option for treating stage T1 middle-third gastric cancer.

In patients with gastric cancer (GC), metastatic progression through the lymphatic, haematogenous, peritoneal, and ovarian routes is the ultimate cause of death. We developed a nomogram to estimate cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with T1 gastric cancer based on log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS). A total of 2,221 patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were split into training and internal validation cohorts, while an external validation cohort included 165 patients from our hospital. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age, sex, tumour size, LODDS score, and M stage were independent prognostic factors for CSS. The LODDS outperformed the N stage and positive lymph node (PLN) count in terms of predictive ability and is recognised as an independent prognostic factor for nomogram construction. In the training and internal and external validation sets, the 1-year AUCs of the columniogram were 0.732, 0.672, and 0.719, respectively. The 3-year AUCs were 0.705, 0.692, and 0.638, respectively. The 5-year AUCs were 0.726, 0.698, and 0.713, respectively, indicating good predictive power. The calibration curve revealed that the predicted survival rate was consistent with the actual survival rate in the three groups. The ROC and DCA demonstrated that the nomogram has more potential in predicting prognosis than the existing AJCC staging system. We constructed and validated a novel nomogram leveraging LODDS, which effectively estimates the CSS at 1, 3, and 5 years for individuals with gastric cancer.

To investigate the value of metabolic parameters and metabolic heterogeneity from pretreatment deoxy-2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in predicting distant metastasis in gastric cancer.

Eighty-six patients with pathologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma were included in this study. All patients underwent a whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT scan before treatment. Clinicopathologic and imaging data were collected, including metabolic parameters such as maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of the primary gastric cancer lesions. Heterogeneity index (HI)-1 was expressed as the absolute value of the linear regression slopes between the MTVs at different SUVmax thresholds (40% × SUVmax, 80% × SUVmax), while HI-2 was expressed as the difference between SUVmax and SUVmean. Patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts at a 7:3 ratio. The correlation between the above parameters and distant metastasis in gastric cancer was analyzed using the training cohort. A nomogram prediction model was then established and later verified with the validation cohort. Finally, decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the clinical utility of the model.

This study included 86 patients with gastric cancer, with 60 (69.8%) in the training cohort and 26 (30.2%) in the validation cohort. There was no significant difference in the balanced comparison between both cohorts (all P > .05). Among all patients, 31 (36.0%) developed distant metastasis, while 55 (64.0%) did not. In patients who developed distant tumor metastasis, carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen (CA)12-5, CA19-9, CA72-4, MTV, TLG, and HI-1 were significantly higher than in patients without distant metastasis (all P < .05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified CA72-4 (OR: 1.151, 95% CI: 1.020-1.300, P = .023) and HI-1 (OR: 1.647, 95% CI: 1.063-2.553, P = .026) as independent risk factors for predicting distant metastasis in gastric cancer. The nomogram constructed from this analysis exhibited high predictive efficacy in the training (AUC: 0.874, 95% CI: 0.766-0.983) and validation (AUC: 0.915, 95% CI: 0.790-1.000) cohorts, providing a net clinical benefit for patients.

HI-1 is an independent risk factor for predicting distant metastasis in gastric cancer. A comprehensive prediction model combining HI-1 with the tumor marker CA72-4 can increase the net clinical benefit for patients.

The clinical value of incorporating lipid and inflammatory factors to predict long-term survival in patients with gastric cancer (GC) is unreported. This study aimed to investigate the clinical value of nomograms integrating the Circulating Lipid and Inflammation Risk Score (CLIRS) for predicting the long-term outcome of patients with GC.

A retrospective analysis included patients with GC who underwent radical resection at four tertiary medical centers. Patients were divided into training and validation cohorts, with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression selecting optimal lipid and inflammatory indicators related to GC prognosis. The CLIRS was developed from six indicators: lymphocyte, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B.

Overall, 2534 patients were studied, including 1910 in the training cohort and 624 in the validation cohort. The CLIRS was an independent risk factor for overall survival (OS; hazard ratio [HR] 1.529, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.271-1.839; p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS; HR 1.511, 95% CI 1.267-1.801; p < 0.001) in GC patients. The OS nomogram (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.823 vs. 0.785; p < 0.05) and DFS nomogram (AUC 0.804 vs. 0.770; p < 0.05) based on the CLIRS outperformed pTNM stage. High-risk patients had earlier and more sustained recurrence, with higher rates of local, peritoneal, and distant recurrences (p < 0.05).

The CLIRS, combining circulating lipid and inflammatory factors, is an independent prognostic factor for patients with GC. Nomograms incorporating the CLIRS are superior to pTNM stage in predicting postoperative survival and recurrence in patients with GC.

Lymphatic route is the main pathway for gastric cancer (GC) spread, and lymph node (LN) involvement is a major prognostic factor after curative resection. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of specific LN station dissection.

Patients with locally advanced (cT2-4N0-3M0) GC who underwent multimodal treatment between 2013 and 2023 were included in the study. Patients who had not undergone gastrectomy, had early (cT1) or metastatic GC, who had undergone multiorgan resections, palliative care, had died before the end of curative-intent planned treatment, or had incomplete clinical or pathological information were excluded. The primary endpoint was the development of serious complications, and the secondary outcome was OS.

Mulivariable analysis revealed, that among patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), it was observed that station 10 lymphadenectomy was associated with a higher risk of serious postoperative complications. (27.6 % vs 8.7 %; OR = 3.28) Among the no-NAC group, it was observed that station 13 lymphadenectomy was associated with a higher risk of serious postoperative complications. (57.1 % vs 13.2 %; OR = 6.96). Among the NAC group, a lower risk of death was observed in patients with station 8 (HR = 0.53) or 11 lymphadenectomy (HR = 0.53).

While D2 lymphadenectomy remains crucial, particularly in in high-volume, experienced GC centers, the necessity of a more extensive D2+ lymphadenectomy is not supported by our findings. Moreover, we aimed to highlight the importance of tailored surgical approaches and emphasize the significance of LN station dissection in influencing both short-term complications and long-term survival outcomes.

Identifying the most effective postoperative surveillance interval in patients with gastric cancer (GC) remains challenging. To elucidate a logical and effective surveillance schedule, we analyzed GC recurrence risk trends after gastrectomy using the hazard function.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 2503 patients who underwent curative GC resection between 2000 and 2018. We examined recurrence risk over time and the influence of clinicopathological variables on it.

Overall, GC recurred in 291 patients (11.6%) over a median of 64.6 months. Recurrence risk was highest at approximately 11-months postoperatively (hazard rate [HR]: 0.0045), decreasing to half the peak at approximately 39-months postoperatively. Patients with Stage I GC maintained a low risk. In Stage II patients, the risk peaked at 16-months postoperatively (HR: 0.006) and gradually declined thereafter. Stage III patients had the highest risk at 11 months postoperatively (HR: 0.019), plateauing at 40 months.

We demonstrated significant cancer stage-dependent differences in postsurgical GC recurrence risk by using the hazard function. Reductions in surveillance intensity might be acceptable according to the individual risk of recurrence.

The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) revised the consensus in 2018, including that using computed tomography (CT) imaging of the lumbar third vertebra (L3) for the evaluation of muscle mass. However, there is currently discrepancy and confusion in the application of specific cross-sectional and cutoff values for L3. This study aimed to standardize the diagnosis of low muscle mass using L3-CT.

This study included patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer between July 2014 and February 2019. Sarcopenia factors were measured preoperatively. Patients were followed up to obtain actual clinical outcomes. We used the cutoff values obtained based on the inferior aspect of L3-CT images to diagnose sarcopenia in three aspects, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare long-term and short-term postoperative prognostic differences.

Sarcopenia was found to be an independent risk factor for postoperative complications and overall survival in patients with all three diagnoses of sarcopenia. According to the multivariate model for predicting postoperative complications, patients with inferior-L3 sarcopenia (n = 154,13.8%) had a greater odds ratio (OR) than patients with superior-L3 sarcopenia (n = 220,19.7%) or transverse-L3 sarcopenia (n = 194,17.4%) did (OR, inferior sarcopenia vs. superior sarcopenia, transverse sarcopenia, 2.030 vs. 1.608, 1.679). Furthermore, patients with inferior-L3 sarcopenia had the highest hazard ratio (HR) (HR, inferior sarcopenia vs. superior sarcopenia, transverse sarcopenia, 1.491 vs. 1.408, 1.376) in the multivariate model for predicting overall survival.

We recommend that when diagnosing low muscle mass using L3-CT, the intercepted cross section should be uniform and consistent with the aspect on which the cutoff value is based.

Liver cancer is a common second primary cancer in gastric cancer patients, but whether a gastric cancer diagnosis contributes to the development of second primary liver cancer remains contentious. This study aims to utilize Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the potential causal relationship between gastric cancer and second primary liver cancer from a genetic perspective.

We extracted single nucleotide polymorphism for gastric cancer and liver cancer in the East Asian population from the Genome-Wide Association Studies database as instrumental variables and employed univariate and multivariate MR analysis to evaluate the causal relationship between gastric cancer and liver cancer. The robustness of the findings was ensured through heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses.

Univariate MR analysis revealed that genetic susceptibility to gastric cancer in the East Asian population was significantly associated with an increased risk of liver cancer [Inverse-variance weighted (IVW): OR = 1.252, 95% CI 1.076-1.457, P = 0.004]. Multivariate MR analysis indicated that after adjusting for confounding factors, the significant positive causal relationship between gastric cancer and liver cancer remained robust (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, no causal relationship was observed between liver cancer diagnosis and the development of gastric cancer in the East Asian population (IVW: OR = 1.111, 95% CI 0.936-1.318, P = 0.228).

Genetic prediction results suggest that gastric cancer survivors might face an increased risk of developing second primary liver cancer, implying the potential value of routine liver cancer screening for gastric cancer survivors.

To treat early gastric cancer, one must choose between endoscopic treatment and surgical treatment. Endoscopic treatment has been developing significantly since the late 1990s and has made great progress up to the present. However, many patients with early gastric cancer still undergo unnecessary surgery or endoscopic procedures. This is due to the existence of a "gray zone" of ambiguities between endoscopic and surgical treatment. These ambiguities arise because the important factors in determining the treatment for early gastric cancer can only be fully understood after endoscopic or surgical resection or because of discrepancies between the factors identifiable before treatment and those identifiable after treatment. This article aims to explore these ambiguous factors and discuss methods and efforts to reduce them.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of perioperative dysphagia rehabilitation in older adult patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy.

This retrospective study included 149 patients over 80 years who underwent gastrectomies between January 2000 and December 2020. The patients were divided into two groups based on the intervention of the dysphagia rehabilitation team (DRT group: n = 101) and the non-intervention control group (C group: n = 48). Inverse probability weighting (IPW) analysis was used to reduce bias caused by potential confounding.

The incidence of overall complications was significantly lower in the DRT group (odds ratio [OR]; 0.27[0.08-0.93]), among which the incidence of postoperative pneumonia (OR; 0.07[0.01-0.43]) and aspiration pneumonia (OR; 0.05[0.01-0.44] was significantly reduced. Ten patients developed postoperative pneumonia; seven were in the C group, and three were in DRT group. Sixty percent of these patients had preoperative comorbidities related to the respiratory system. Regarding the time of onset of aspiration pneumonia, two patterns were observed: onset within a short period after surgery and onset after the start of eating. In contrast, five patients underwent preoperative dysphagia rehabilitation in the DRT group. Among them, postoperative aspiration pneumonia was prevented in four patients, and the others were prevented from severe pneumonitis by the intervention of the dysphagia rehabilitation team.

Perioperative intervention in dysphagia rehabilitation is not only associated with reduced postoperative pneumonia but also creates awareness in the medical staff and promotes careful observation of swallowing in patients, thereby controlling the incidence of postoperative pneumonia. The perioperative intervention of the dysphagia rehabilitation team is useful for older adult patients with gastric cancer.

It is essential to ensure optimal adherence to adjuvant chemotherapy regimens following gastric cancer surgery. However, treatment intensity for S-1 as adjuvant chemotherapy has not as yet been compared between minimally invasive (MI) and open (Open) surgery.

We retrospectively compared dose modification of adjuvant S-1 between MI and Open surgery in patients undergoing R0 gastrectomy for gastric or esophago-gastric junction cancer at the Cancer Institute Hospital Tokyo, Japan, during the period from 2012 to 2022, and receiving S-1 for pStage II or S-1 plus docetaxel for pStage III as adjuvant chemotherapy. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to adjust for possible confounders.

In total, 323 patients were initially included. After PSM, 158 patients remained, 79 in each group. The adjuvant chemotherapy completion rates were similar in the two groups. However, the proportion of patients who required S-1 dose reduction was significantly lower in the MI than in the Open group (43.0% vs. 65.8%, p = 0.004). In addition, the MI group had significantly fewer patients requiring suspension of S-1 than the Open group (46.8% vs. 64.6%, p = 0.025). Moreover, the frequency of adverse events of grade ≥ 3 was significantly lower in the MI than in the Open group (17.7% vs. 31.7%, p = 0.042).

In adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer, minimally invasive surgery may offer better treatment intensity for oral S-1 administration than open surgery.

Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) with Billroth I (B-I) reconstruction is frequently performed for gastric cancer. However, the difference between the circular stapler technique (CS) and delta-shaped anastomosis (DA) remains unclear, especially regarding the postoperative endoscopic physiological findings.

Three hundred and one patients including 150 CS patients and 151 DA patients during LADG with B-I reconstruction between 2013 and 2019 at Saitama Medical University International Medical Center were chosen as study subjects. Postoperative endoscopic findings (1-year post-surgery) in the remnant stomach were evaluated according to the residue, gastritis, and bile-reflux classification, and the first-year postoperative weight changes were also recorded.

The incidences of Grade 2 or higher remnant gastritis, bile reflux, and postoperative exacerbated reflux esophagitis were significantly higher in the DA group, while the amount of residual food was higher in the CS group. Multivariate analysis also revealed the higher risks of Grade 2 or higher gastritis and the postoperative existence or exacerbation of erosive reflux esophagitis in the DA group (OR [95% CI] was 2.737 [1.566-4.783], 3.533 [1.101-11.34], and 3.749 [1.021-13.76], respectively). However, none of these endoscopic differences but the broader extent of gastritis was the only endoscopic factor associated with severe postoperative weight loss.

There was a trend toward more exacerbation of residual gastritis and reflux esophagitis with the DA technique and more food remnants with the CS technique. Although the difference in the anastomotic technique did not directly result in weight loss, attention should be paid to prevent extensive residual gastritis.

Gastric cancer (GC) treatment is increasingly undergoing laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) procedures. However, we conducted this research to evaluate postoperative outcomes, particularly surgical complications associated with intracorporeal and extracorporeal esophagojejunostomies using linear or circular stapling techniques following LTG for GC treatment. We aimed to compare short-term postoperative outcomes, such as surgical complications and anastomotic outcomes, between the two groups. Method From January 2020 to August 2022, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data from 160 consecutive patients diagnosed with GC who received either IEJ (n = 35) or EEJ (n = 125) during LTG. We utilized the Mann-Whitney U test to ascertain the statistical significance between the two groups. For comparing categorical variables, including numbers and percentages, we employed either the Pearson chi-square test, continuity correction, or Fisher's exact test as appropriate.ResultsThe operative time was similar (IEJ: 184.57 ± 36.489 vs. EEJ: 189.22 ± 43.584; P = 0.565), however, the number of positive lymph nodes was performed more in the IEJ group (IEJ: 4.71 ± 6.114 vs. EEJ: 6.39 ± 9.067 (P = 0.305). The blood loss in the IEJ group was lower than that of the EEJ (IEJ: 73.1429.182 vs. EEJ: 100.6461.693 mL, P = 0.012). There were three anastomosis leakages in the EEJ and one in the IEJ group (EEJ, 3.2% vs. IEJ, 2.8%; P > 0.999). Anastomosis bleeding only occurred in the EEJ (EEJ 1%; P = 0.003). Although the EEJ linear stapling technique had two deaths (EEJ, 1.6%).ConclusionAlthough EEJ is frequently utilized in the linear stapling technique, research indicates that the use of IEJ minimizes the incidence of complications in LTG.

This study investigated the prognostic value of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for remnant gastric cancer (RGC).

This multicenter retrospective study included 105 patients with RGC of ≥ 65 years of age who underwent curative gastrectomy at 10 institutions in Japan between January 2000 and December 2016. Postoperative complications, overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) were analyzed.

Receiver operating curve analyses indicated that the optimal cutoff value of the GNRI for OS was 95.4. Patients were categorized into high and low GNRI groups based on the optimal GNRI cutoff value. The GNRI was significantly correlated with body mass index (p < 0.001), amount of bleeding (p = 0.021), Clavien-Dindo grade 5 postoperative complications (p = 0.040), death caused by primary disease (p = 0.010), and death caused by other diseases (p = 0.002). The OS and DSS were significantly worse in the low GNRI group. A low GNRI and T3 or deeper tumor invasion were independent prognostic factors for OS and DSS.

The GNRI is a promising predictor of both short- and long-term outcomes in older patients with RGC.

Accurate prediction of peritoneal recurrence for gastric cancer (GC) is crucial in clinic. The collagen alterations in tumor microenvironment affect the migration and treatment response of cancer cells. Herein, we proposed multitask machine learning-based tumor-associated collagen signatures (TACS), which are composed of quantitative collagen features derived from multiphoton imaging, to simultaneously predict peritoneal recurrence (TACSPR) and disease-free survival (TACSDFS).

Among 713 consecutive patients, with 275 in training cohort, 222 patients in internal validation cohort, and 216 patients in external validation cohort, we developed and validated a multitask machine learning model for simultaneously predicting peritoneal recurrence (TACSPR) and disease-free survival (TACSDFS). The accuracy of the model for prediction of peritoneal recurrence and prognosis as well as its association with adjuvant chemotherapy were evaluated.

The TACSPR and TACSDFS were independently associated with peritoneal recurrence and disease-free survival in three cohorts, respectively (all P < 0.001). The TACSPR demonstrated a favorable performance for peritoneal recurrence in all three cohorts. In addition, the TACSDFS also showed a satisfactory accuracy for disease-free survival among included patients. For stage II and III diseases, adjuvant chemotherapy improved the survival of patients with low TACSPR and low TACSDFS, or high TACSPR and low TACSDFS, or low TACSPR and high TACSDFS, but had no impact on patients with high TACSPR and high TACSDFS.

The multitask machine learning model allows accurate prediction of peritoneal recurrence and survival for GC and could distinguish patients who might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

To evaluate the potential of radiomics approach for predicting No. 14v station lymph node metastasis (14vM) in gastric cancer (GC).

The contrast enhanced CT (CECT) images with corresponding clinical information of 288 GC patients were retrospectively collected. Patients were separated into training set (n = 202) and testing set (n = 86). A total of 1,316 radiomics feature were extracted from portal venous phase images of CECT. Seven machine learning (ML) algorithms including naïve Bayes (NB), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), decision tree (DT), logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and support vector machine (SVM) were trained for development of optimal radiomics signature. A combined model was established by combining radiomics with important clinicopathological factors. The diagnostic ability of the signature and model were evaluated.

LR algorithm was chosen for signature construction. The radiomics signature exhibited good discrimination accuracy of 14vM with AUCs of 0.83 in the training and 0.77 in the testing set. The risk of 14vM showed significant association with higher radiomics score. A combined model exhibited increased predictive ability and good agreement in the training (AUC = 0.87) and testing (AUC = 0.85) sets.

The ML-based radiomics model provided a promising image biomarker for preoperative detection of 14vM and may help the surgeon to decide whether to add 14v dissection to lymphadenectomy.

The present study aimed to analyze the independent risk factors for intraoperative bleeding in Siewert II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) using two minimally invasive surgical approaches, namely, the laparoscopy-assisted abdominal trans-hiatal (LTH) method and transthoracic-laparoscopic esophagectomy (TLE).

The clinical data of 100 patients with SiewertII AEG admitted to our hospital from October 2017 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the type of surgery, the patients were divided into LTH approach group and TLE approach group. The differences between the clinical characteristics of the patients in different groups and the differences in the intraoperative bleeding and prognosis between different surgical procedures were analyzed and compared using the t-test and chi-squared test. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the independent risk factors affecting the amount of intraoperative bleeding in patients.

The results of this study showed that patients in the LTH group had significantly less intraoperative bleeding and operative time and significantly better postoperative recovery than the TLE group. The results of multivariate linear regression showed that the combined trans-thoracic-abdominal approach (P=0.000), advanced age (P=0.014), larger BMI (P=0.000), and larger tumor diameter (P=0.001) were the independent risk factors influencing the increase in intraoperative bleeding.

In addition to the conventional factors that affect intraoperative bleeding, such as the patient's general condition, operation time, and tumor size, LTH surgery is another way to avoid intraoperative bleeding for Siewert type II AEG patients and can significantly improve postoperative recovery.

During gastric cancer resection, back table dissection (BTD) involves examination and separation of lymph node (LN) packets from the surgical specimen based on LN stations, which are sent to pathology as separately labeled specimens. With potential impact on clinical outcomes, we aimed to explore how BTD affects number of LNs examined.

A retrospective review of a gastric cancer database was performed, including all cases of gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy from January 2009 to March 2022. Back table dissection and conventional groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests. Multiple linear regression modeling was used to identify potential predictors of number of LN examined.

A total of 174 patients were identified: 39 (22%) BTD and 135 (78%) conventional. More patients in the BTD group underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (62% vs 29%, P < .05). Compared to the conventional group, the BTD group had a greater number of LNs examined (42 [26-59] vs 21[15-33], median [IQR], P < .001), lower LN positivity ratio (.01 vs .07, P = .013), and greater number of LNs in patients with BMI >35 (32.5[27.5-39] vs 22[13-27], P = .041). A multiple linear regression model controlling for age, BMI, preoperative N stage, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgeon experience, and operative approach identified BTD as a significant positive predictor of number of LN examined (β = 19.7, P = .001).

Back table dissection resulted in improved LN yield during gastric cancer resection. As a simple technical addition, BTD helps enhance pathology examination and improve surgeon awareness, which may ultimately translate to improve oncologic outcomes.

Some experimental data suggest that myokines may play an important role in developing cancer-associated cachexia (CAC), but their relevance in humans remains poorly explored. In our study, we tested the hypothesis that circulating myokines are associated with the pathogenesis of CAC in a model population of gastric cancer.

A group of 171 treatment naïve patients with adenocarcinoma of the stomach were prospectively examined. Cachexia was defined as weight loss >5% or weight loss >2% with either BMI <20 kg/m2 or sarcopenia. A panel of 19 myokines was measured in portal and peripheral blood as well as tumour tissue and surrounding gastric mucosa. Moreover, a serum proteomic signature of cachexia was identified by a label-free quantitative proteomics with a nano LC-MS/MS system and stored in a ProteomeXchange database (PXD049334).

One hundred (58%) patients were diagnosed with CAC. The concentrations of fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3), follistatin-like 1 protein (FSTL-1), interleukin 6 (IL 6), and interleukin 8 (IL 8) were significantly higher in the peripheral blood of cachectic subjects, while leptin levels were lower. Of all the evaluated myokines, tumour tissues showed higher expression levels only for IL-15 and myostatin. However, the analysis of paired samples failed to demonstrate a decreasing concentration gradient between the portal and peripheral blood for any of the myokines, evidencing against their release by the primary tumour. Proteomic analysis identified 28 proteins upregulated and 24 downregulated in the peripheral blood of patients with cachexia. Differentially expressed proteins and 5 myokines with increased serum levels generated a significant protein-protein interaction network.

Our study provides clinical evidence that some myokines are involved in the pathogenesis of cachexia and are well integrated into the regulatory network of circulating blood proteins identified among cachectic patients with gastric cancer.

Several studies have found that the absolute lymphocyte (ALC) or neutrophil count predicts the survival of patients with solid tumors, and that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the prognostic nutritional index are useful markers of gastric cancer prognosis. However, it remains unclear whether the ALC is prognostic of lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with gastric cancer. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of ALC on prognosis and distinctive clinical characteristics in patients with gastric cancer.

The medical records of patients with gastric adenocarcinomas who underwent radical gastrectomy with curative intent at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital between January 2010 and December 2017 were reviewed. Of these, 4149 patients for whom preoperative white blood cell, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts were available were enrolled.

In all 4149 patients, ALC gradually decreased as the pN stage increased. Those with an ALC of less than 1360 cells/μL were defined as a low-ALC group, and advanced cT and cN stages were the strongest risk factors for LN metastasis in both univariate and multivariate analyses; undifferentiated tumor histology and a low ALC were also significant risk factors. Patients of all stages in the ALC-low group exhibited poorer prognoses. The ALC-low group also exhibited a higher recurrence rate in a greater proportion of LNs.

In patients with gastric cancer, as the preoperative ALC decreases, the incidence of LN metastasis increases. A low ALC is associated with a high recurrence rate, particularly in LNs.

Clinical T4 (cT4) stage gastric cancer presents with frequent postoperative recurrence and poor prognosis. This study is to evaluate the oncological efficacy of laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy combined with postoperative prophylactic hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in patients with cT4N + M0 gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

We reviewed the clinicopathological data of 174 patients with clinical T4 gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy between June 2017 and December 2021. Among them, 142 were included in the non-HIPEC group, and 32 in the HIPEC group. Patients in both groups were paired based on propensity score in a 2:1 ratio to assess disparities in tumor recurrence and long-term survival.

After matching, there were no significant differences in the clinicopathological data between the two groups. The peritoneum (16.1%) and distant organs (10.9%) were the most frequent locations for recurrence. Prior to matching, the recurrence rates were similar at all sites for both groups. Compared with those in the non-HIPEC cohort, the recurrence rates at all sites, the lung, and the peritoneum were notably lower in the HIPEC cohort. Prior to matching, the 3-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were similar between the two groups; following matching, the HIPEC group exhibited notably greater survival rates than did the non-HIPEC group. The disparities in survival rates between the groups became even more pronounced after conducting a stratified analysis among patients with stage III disease.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with prophylactic HIPEC after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy can effectively reduce the rate of peritoneal metastasis in patients with cT4N + M0 advanced gastric cancer and significantly improve the prognosis of such patients, which is of great clinical value.

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) affects outcomes in various malignancies. However, its clinical significance in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) remains unclear. This study investigated the impact of pre- and post-NAC SO on postoperative morbidity and survival.

Data from 207 patients with LAGC, who underwent NAC followed by radical gastrectomy between January 2010 and October 2019, were reviewed. Skeletal muscle mass and visceral fat area were measured pre- and post-NAC using computed tomography to define sarcopenia and obesity, the coexistence of which was defined as SO.

Among the patients, 52 (25.1%) and 38 (18.4%) developed SO before and after NAC, respectively. Both pre- (34.6%) and post- (47.4%) NAC SO were associated with the highest postoperative morbidity rates; however, only post-NAC SO was an independent risk factor for postoperative morbidity [hazard ratio (HR) = 9.550, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.818-32.369; P < .001]. Pre-NAC SO was independently associated with poorer 3-year overall [46.2% vs. 61.3%; HR = 1.258 (95% CI = 1.023-1.547); P = .049] and recurrence-free [39.3% vs. 55.4%; HR 1.285 (95% CI 1.045-1.579); P = .017] survival.

Pre-NAC SO was an independent prognostic factor in patients with LAGC undergoing NAC; post-NAC SO independently predicted postoperative morbidity.

Conventional research and guidelines on postgastrectomy follow-up for gastric cancer often restrict their focus to the first 5 years after surgery.

To evaluate the association of extended regular follow-up after 5 years postgastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer with overall and postrecurrence survival rates.

This population-based, retrospective cohort study used Korean National Health Insurance claims data extracted between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2014, with follow-up data examined until December 31, 2021. Patients without recurrence or other cancers at 5 years postgastrectomy were divided into 2 groups: those who had extended regular follow-up visits and those who did not. The data were analyzed between August 15 and November 15, 2023.

Regular follow-up vs irregular follow-up after 5 years postgastrectomy.

The main outcome was whether extended regular follow-up after 5 years postgastrectomy was independently associated with overall and postrecurrence survival rates using Cox proportional hazards regression. Postrecurrence survival rates were also compared across different follow-up methods and intervals.

A total of 40 468 patients with gastric cancer were included, with 14 294 in the regular follow-up group (mean [SD] age, 61.3 [11.7] years; 9669 male [67.8%]) and 26 174 in the irregular follow-up group (mean [SD] age, 58.1 [11.1] years; 18 007 male [68.8%]). Late recurrence or gastric remnant cancer (GRC) was identified in 3138 patients (7.8%), including 1610 of 40 468 patients (4.0%) between 5 and 10 years postgastrectomy and 1528 of 16 287 (9.4%) patients after 10 years postgastrectomy. Regular follow-up was associated with a significantly decreased overall mortality rate after 5 years postgastrectomy (from 49.4% to 36.9% in 15-year mortality rate; P < .001), as well as significant improvement of postrecurrence survival rate after occurrence of late recurrence or GRC (from 32.7% to 71.1% in 5-year postrecurrence survival rate; P < .001). Comparison of follow-up methods revealed that the combination of endoscopy and abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) (only abdominopelvic CT in total gastrectomy subgroup) yielded the highest 5-year postrecurrence survival rate (endoscopy alone vs abdominopelvic CT alone vs a combination of both, 54.5% vs 47.1% vs 74.5%, respectively). A time interval of more than 2 years between previous endoscopy or abdominopelvic CT and late recurrence and GRC diagnosis was associated with a significantly reduced postrecurrence survival rate (hazard ratio, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.45-2.04] and 1.48 [95% CI, 1.25-1.75], respectively).

These findings suggest that extended regular follow-up after 5 years postgastrectomy should be implemented clinically and that current practice and value of follow-up protocols in postoperative care of patients with gastric cancer be reconsidered.

The Cancer Control Act requires the maintenance of regional cooperation pathways (RCP) for cancer treatment. In 2008, we started RCP for early detection of new gastric cancer after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). In gastric cancer treatment, RCP after surgical resection had been widely used, but little is known about RCP after ESD. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of RCP after ESD.

This study included 465 patients on whom our RCP was implemented from 2008 to 2018. A regional family physician performed surveillance endoscopy at 3 months and 1 year after ESD and annually thereafter. We retrospectively evaluated the cumulative incidence and treatment outcomes of new gastric cancer and compared them with previous reports.