Results of a nation-wide retrospective study of lymphadenectomy for esophagogastric junction carcinoma

• Published in: Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association 2017-03, Vol.20 (Suppl 1), p.69-83
• Main Authors: Yamashita, Hiroharu, Seto, Yasuyuki, Sano, Takeshi, Makuuchi, Hiroyasu, Ando, Nobutoshi, Sasako, Mitsuru
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominal Surgery; Adenocarcinoma - secondary; Adenocarcinoma - surgery; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cancer Research; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - secondary; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - surgery; Esophagogastric Junction - pathology; Esophagogastric Junction - surgery; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gastrectomy; Gastric cancer; Gastroenterology; Humans; Lymph Node Excision; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - pathology; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - surgery; Neoplasm Staging; Oncology; Original Article; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Stomach Neoplasms - surgery; Surgical Oncology; Survival Rate; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1436-3291; 1436-3305
• DOI: 10.1007/s10120-016-0663-8

Background Esophagogastric junction (EGJ) carcinoma has attracted considerable attention because of the marked increase in its incidence globally. However, the optimal extent of esophagogastric resection for this tumor entity remains highly controversial. Methods This was a questionnaire-based national retrospective study undertaken in an attempt to define the optimal extent of lymph node dissection for EGJ cancer. Data from patients with EGJ carcinoma, less than 40 mm in diameter, who underwent R0 resection between January 2001 and December 2010 were reviewed. Results Clinical records of 2807 patients without preoperative therapy were included in the analysis. There are distinct disparities in terms of the nodal dissection rate according to histology and the predominant tumor location. Nodal metastases frequently involved the abdominal nodes, especially those at the right and left cardia, lesser curvature and along the left gastric artery. Nodes along the distal portion of the stomach were much less often metastatic, and their dissection seemed unlikely to be beneficial. Lower mediastinal node dissection might contribute to improving survival for patients with esophagus-predominant EGJ cancer. However, due to low dissection rates for nodes of the middle and upper mediastinum, no conclusive result was obtained regarding the optimal extent of nodal dissection in this region. Conclusions Complete nodal clearance along the distal portion of the stomach offers marginal survival benefits for patients with EGJ cancers less than 4 cm in diameter. The optimal extent of esophageal resection and the benefits of mediastinal node dissection remain issues to be addressed in managing patients with esophagus-predominant EGJ cancers.