The Effectiveness of Screening Total Colonoscopy for Preoperative Patients with Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer that coincides with gastric cancer (GC). Although the usefulness of total colonoscopy (TCS) as a CRC screening tool has been reported in preoperative patients with GC, the long-term outcome of patients with synchronous CRC (SCRC) remains unclear. This study aims to clarify the significance of preoperative screening TCS for GC in terms of survival outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 796 patients who underwent preoperative screening TCS for GC. The risk factors, clinicopathological features, and survival outcome of SCRC were examined. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness was evaluated from the perspective of improving the rates of mortality caused by CRC. RESULTS: SCRC was observed in 43 patients (5.4%). Endoscopic treatment for SCRC was performed on 30 patients. In total, 15 patients underwent surgical resection, including 2 patients requiring additional surgery after endoscopic treatment. Regarding pathological stages, 25 patients had stage 0, 12 patients had stage I, 5 patients had stage II, and 1 patient had stage IIIB disease. The cumulative mortality rates were as follows: GC-related deaths, 12.6%; deaths from cancers other than CRC, 1%; deaths from other causes, 5.5%. No deaths were attributed to SCRC. Comparing the patients who did not undergo TCS, an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio analysis suggested that a screening cost of 5.86 million yen was required to prevent one CRC death. CONCLUSIONS: Curative treatment was possible in all patients with SCRC. No deaths were attributed to SCRC, suggesting that screening TCS for GC is effective.

Late complication after gastrectomy for clinical stage I cancer: supplementary analysis of JCOG0912.

BACKGROUND: Late complications following gastric cancer surgery, including postgastrectomy syndromes, are complex problems requiring a solution. Reported risk factors for developing late complications include surgery-related factors, such as the surgical approach and the extent of resection and reconstruction. However, this has not been assessed in a prospective study with a large sample size. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate associations between surgery-related factors and the development of late complications. Data from the JCOG0912 trial were used. It compared laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) to open distal gastrectomy (ODG) in clinical stage I gastric cancer patients. METHODS: This study included 881/921 patients enrolled in the JCOG0912 trial. The incidence of late complications was compared between the ODG and the LADG arms. In addition, associations between surgery-related factors and the development of late complications were assessed by multivariable analyses using the proportional odds model to identify relevant risk factors. RESULTS: There was no difference in the type or number of patients with late complications between the LADG and the ODG arms. The multivariable analysis for each late complication revealed that the Billroth-I reconstruction (vs. R-en-Y or Billroth-II) had a lower risk of cholecystitis [odds ratio (OR) 0.187, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.039-0.905, P = 0.037] or ileus (OR 0.116, 95%CI 0.033-0.406, P < 0.001), and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (vs. R-en-Y or Billroth-II) had a higher risk of reflux esophagitis (OR 3.348, 95% CI 1.371-8.176, P = 0.008). The surgical approach was not a risk factor for any late complications. CONCLUSION: Differences in surgical approaches did not constitute a risk for developing late complications after gastrectomy. Billroth-I reconstruction reduced the risk of ileus and cholecystitis, but pylorus-preserving gastrectomy carried a risk for reflux esophagitis.

Detection of secondary upper gastrointestinal tract cancer during follow-up esophagogastroduodenoscopy after gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Aim: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) may contribute to early detection of secondary cancer in the upper gastrointestinal tract although the clinical relevance of follow-up after gastrectomy remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the effectiveness of follow-up EGD by investigating the incidence of secondary cancer in any part of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Methods: Data from 1438 patients who underwent curative partial gastrectomy for primary gastric cancer between 2008 and 2014 and follow-up EGD at least once during a 5-year follow-up period were retrospectively reviewed. Incidence rates of remnant gastric cancer, laryngeal cancer, and esophageal cancer detected after follow-up EGD were determined, and risk factors for secondary cancers were examined. The characteristics of clinicopathological diagnoses of secondary cancers were reviewed and compared according to the frequency of follow-up EGD. Results: The average annual frequency of EGD was 0.7, while the 5-year cumulative incidence rates of remnant gastric cancer and secondary laryngeal and esophageal cancers were 2.9% and 1.3%, respectively. Risk factors for remnant gastric cancer included heavy smoking, proximal gastrectomy, and tumor size ≥ 30 mm. All secondary cancers were resectable upon diagnosis, with endoscopically resectable cancer accounting for 81.0% of cases. Our results found a significantly higher proportion of endoscopically resectable cancers during regular follow-up than during infrequent follow-up. Conclusions: Follow-up EGD can be a useful modality for detecting secondary upper gastrointestinal tract cancer, likely leading to curative treatment for secondary cancer. Focusing on patients presenting with risk factors may increase the value of follow-up EGD after gastrectomy.

Advantages of a robotic approach compared with laparoscopy gastrectomy for patients with high visceral fat area.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer surgery for obese patients is regarded as a technically challenging procedure. The morbidity after gastrectomy has been reported to be significantly higher in patients with high visceral fat area (VFA). Robotic gastrectomy (RG) is expected to be advantageous for complicated operations. However, whether RG is superior to conventional laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for patients with visceral fat obesity remains unclear. The present study aimed to clarify the impact of RG on the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with high VFAs. METHODS: This study included 1306 patients with clinical stage I/II gastric cancer who underwent minimally invasive gastrectomy between January 2012 and December 2020. The patients were subclassified according to VFA. The short- and long-term outcomes of RG were compared with those of LG in two VFA categories. RESULTS: This study included 394 (high-VFA, 151; low-VFA, 243) and 882 patients (high-VFA, 366; low-VFA, 516) in the RG and LG groups, respectively. RG was associated with a significantly longer operative time than LG (high-VFA, P < 0.001; low-VFA, P < 0.001). The incidence rates of overall and intra-abdominal infectious complications in the high-VFA patients were lower in the RG group than in the LG group (P = 0.019 and P = 0.048, respectively) but not significantly different from those in the low-VFA patients. In the multivariate analysis, LG was identified as the only independent risk factor of overall (odds ratio [OR] 3.281; P = 0.012) and intra-abdominal infectious complications (OR 3.462; P = 0.021) in the high-VFA patients. The overall survival of high-VFA patients was significantly better in the RG group than in the LG group (P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with visceral fat obesity, RG appears to be advantageous to LG in terms of reducing the risk of complications and better long-term survival.

Prognostic factors in patients who received paraaortic lymph node dissection for locally advanced gastric cancer with extensive lymph node metastasis.

PURPOSE: While paraaortic lymph node (PAN) dissection (PAND) has been found to be efficacious for patients with extensive lymph node metastasis (ELM) of locally advanced gastric cancer (LGC), the optimal indications for PAND remain to be elucidated. Thus, the prognostic factors among these patients were evaluated. METHODS: A total of 35 patients with ELM of LGC who underwent gastrectomy with D2 and PAND between August 2008 and December 2019 were included and evaluated for long-term outcomes and prognostic factors. RESULTS: Preoperative chemotherapy was administered to 33 patients [neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), n = 26; palliative chemotherapy followed by conversion surgery, n = 7], none of whom suffered surgical mortality. The pathological analysis identified PAN metastasis in 11 patients (31.4%). The 5-year overall and relapse-free survival (RFS) survival were 66.4% and 52.6%, respectively. Locoregional recurrence was found in one patient. The multivariate analysis revealed that NAC (P = 0.011) and < 3 metastatic PANs on preoperative imaging (P = 0.017) were independently associated with RFS. CONCLUSION: D2 and PAND after NAC can be a promising approach for patients with ELM of LGC. In particular, patients with a limited number of metastatic PANs can be considered good candidates for PAND.

Comparisons of surgical outcomes between robotic and laparoscopic total gastrectomy in patients with clinical stage I/IIA gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The robotic approach is especially promising for challenging surgeries, such as total gastrectomy. However, it remains unclear whether robotic total gastrectomy (RTG) is superior to conventional laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG). The present study aimed to clarify the impact of RTG on short- and long-term outcomes for patients with clinical stage I/IIA gastric cancer. METHODS: This study included 98 patients with clinical stage I/IIA gastric cancer who underwent minimally invasive total gastrectomy from October 2013 to December 2020 at the Shizuoka Cancer Center. The short- and long-term outcomes of RTG were compared with those of LTG. RESULTS: This study included 36 RTG and 58 LTG patients. RTG was associated with a significantly longer operative time than LTG (p = 0.023). All complications tended to be lower in the RTG group than in the LTG group (2.8% and 15.5%, respectively; p = 0.083). There were no patients with anastomotic leakage in the RTG group. The multivariate analysis identified LTG as the only independent risk factor for postoperative complications (odds ratio, 6.620; 95% confidence interval, 1.132-126.4; p = 0.034). The survival of the RTG and LTG groups was equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: RTG reduced the risk of complications compared to LTG. Patients treated using the two approaches showed equivalent survival.

Safe implementation of robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer under the requirements for universal health insurance coverage: a retrospective cohort study using a nationwide registry database in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Robotic gastrectomy (RG) has increased since being covered by universal health insurance in 2018. However, to ensure patient safety the operating surgeon and facility must meet specific requirements. We aimed to determine whether RG has been safely implemented under the requirements for universal health insurance in Japan. METHODS: Data of consecutive patients with primary gastric cancer who underwent minimally invasive total or distal gastrectomy-performed by a surgeon certified by the Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery (JSES) endoscopic surgical skill qualification system (ESSQS) between October 2018 and December 2019-were extracted from the gastrointestinal surgery section of the National Clinical Database (NCD). The primary outcome was morbidity over Clavien-Dindo classification grade IIIa. Patient demographics and hospital volume were matched between RG and laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) using propensity score-matched analysis (PSM), and the short-term outcomes of RG and LG were compared. RESULTS: After PSM, 2671 patients who underwent RG and 2671 who underwent LG were retrieved (from a total of 9881), and the standardized difference of all the confounding factors reduced to 0.07 or less. Morbidity rates did not differ between the RG and LG patients (RG, 4.9% vs. LG, 3.9%; p = 0.084). No difference was observed in 30-day mortality (RG, 0.2% vs. LG, 0.1%; p = 0.754). The reoperation rate was greater following RG (RG, 2.2% vs. LG, 1.2%; p = 0.004); however, the duration of postoperative hospitalization was shorter (RG, 10 [8-13] days vs. LG, 11 [9-14] days; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Insurance-covered RG has been safely implemented nationwide.

Molecular classification of gastric cancer predicts survival in patients undergoing radical gastrectomy based on project HOPE.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) has been classified based on molecular profiling like The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG), and attempts have been made to establish therapeutic strategies based on these classifications. However, it is difficult to predict the survival according to these classifications especially in radically resected patients. We aimed to establish a new molecular classification of GC which predicts the survival in patients undergoing radical gastrectomy. METHODS: The present study included 499 Japanese patients with advanced GC undergoing radical (R0/R1) gastrectomy. Whole-exome sequencing, panel sequencing, and gene expression profiling were conducted (High-tech Omics-based Patient Evaluation [Project HOPE]). We classified patients according to TCGA and ACRG subtypes, and evaluated the clinicopathologic features and survival. Then, we attempted to classify patients according to their molecular profiles associated with biological features and survival (HOPE classification). RESULTS: TCGA and ACRG classifications failed to predict the survival. In HOPE classification, hypermutated (HMT) tumors were selected first as a distinctive feature, and T-cell-inflamed expression signature-high (TCI) tumors were then extracted. Finally, the remaining tumors were divided by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) expression signature. HOPE classification significantly predicted the disease-specific and overall survival (p < 0.001 and 0.020, respectively). HMT + TCI showed the best survival, while EMT-high showed the worst survival. The HOPE classification was successfully validated in the TCGA cohort. CONCLUSIONS: We established a new molecular classification of gastric cancer that predicts the survival in patients undergoing radical surgery.

The impact of pancreas compression time during minimally invasive gastrectomy on the postoperative complications in gastric cancer.

AIM: Pancreas compression during minimally invasive gastrectomy causes blunt injury to the pancreas and leads to postoperative complications. However, the extent of practical compression associated with the incidence of postoperative complications remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pancreas compression, particularly the duration of compression, on short-term outcomes in minimally invasive gastrectomy for gastric cancer. METHODS: This study included 178 patients who underwent laparoscopic or robotic gastrectomy at the Shizuoka Cancer Center in 2018. The total time of pancreas compression during gastrectomy was measured using video-reviews, and the correlation between the time and surgical outcomes was evaluated. RESULTS: A duration of 3 min was selected as the cutoff value of pancreas compression time to predict high drain amylase concentration on postoperative day 1 (≥1000 U/L). The incidence of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula (1.5% vs 12.4%, P = .011) and all postoperative complications (12.3% vs 30.1%, P = .010) were significantly higher in the longer-compression group than in the shorter-compression group. The multivariable analysis identified longer compression as the only independent risk factor for postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: More than a few minutes of pancreas compression during minimally invasive gastrectomy was associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications.

The Effect of Minimally Invasive Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer on Postoperative Gallstone Formation.

BACKGROUND: Gallstones are known to occur quite frequently after gastrectomy. Most of the studies about postoperative cholelithiasis have focused on open gastrectomy, whereas laparoscopic gastrectomy has recently gained popularity as a type of minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Hence, the efficacy of MIS in preventing post-gastrectomy gallstone formation remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of gallstone formation after MIS for clinical stage I/IIA gastric cancer. METHODS: A total of 1166 patients undergoing gastrectomy for clinical stage I/IIA gastric cancer between 2009 and 2016 were included in this study. Gallstones were detected on abdominal ultrasound and/or computed tomography. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with postoperative gallstone formation. RESULTS: Gallstone formation was observed in 174 patients (15%), of whom 22 (2%) experienced symptomatic cholelithiasis. In multivariate analysis, the following were identified as risk factors for post-gastrectomy gallstone formation: open approach with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.670 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.110-2.510 (P = 0.014), older age (OR 1.880; 95% CI 1.290-2.730; P < 0.001), high body mass index (OR 1.660; 95% CI 1.140-2.420; P = 0.008), Roux-en-Y (RY) reconstruction (OR 1.770; 95% CI 1.230-2.530; P = 0.002), hepatic branch vagotomy (OR 1.600; 95% CI 1.050-2.440; P = 0.029), and intra-abdominal infectious complications (OR 3.040; 95% CI 1.680-5.490; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that MIS along with the preservation of the hepatic vagus nerve and non-RY reconstruction could help prevent post-gastrectomy gallstone development.

Efficacy of minimally invasive distal gastrectomy for elderly patients with clinical stage I/IIA gastric cancer: a propensity-score matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: Phase III trials have shown the non-inferiority of minimally invasive distal gastrectomy (MIDG) comparison with open distal gastrectomy (ODG) in patients with gastric cancer; however, it remains unclear whether MIDG is also effective in the elderly. This study aimed to clarify the efficacy of MIDG in elderly gastric cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 316 patients older than 75 years with clinical stage I/IIA gastric cancer who underwent distal gastrectomy from August 2008 to December 2016 at the Shizuoka Cancer Centre. The long-term outcomes between MIDG and ODG were compared after propensity score matching. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, there were 97 patients each in the MIDG and ODG groups, with an improved balance of confounding factors between the two groups. MIDG was associated with significantly longer operative time and a lower level of blood loss than ODG. The incidence of complications was comparable between the two groups. Survival outcomes were better in the MIDG group than in the ODG group (overall survival; P = 0.034, relapse-free survival; P = 0.027). In the multivariable analysis, ODG [hazard ratio (HR) 1.971, P = 0.046], being 80 years or older (HR 2.285, P = 0.018), male sex (HR 2.428, 95% P = 0.024), and poor physical status (HR 2.324, P = 0.022) were identified as independent prognostic factors for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: We found that MIDG showed better efficacy than ODG in elderly gastric cancer patients. MIDG is an acceptable option for elderly patients.

Utility of a modified age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index in predicting cause-specific survival among patients with gastric cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The current study aimed to evaluate the ability of a modified version of the age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (mACCI) in predicting cause-specific survival (CSS) among patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy and compared it with the conventional ACCI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer from 2007 to 2016 (n = 2885) were included. A mACCI was established by excluding scores for other malignancies, such as other cancers, leukemia, and lymphoma. After determining the optimal cutoff ACCI and mACCI values for CSS, clinicopathological factors and survival outcomes were assessed according to the ACCI and mACCI. RESULTS: Both ACCI and mACCI were identified as independent prognostic factors for overall survival (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, only mACCI was identified as an independent prognostic factor for CSS (p < 0.001). The present study suggested that mACCI was a better indicator of CSS in patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy than ACCI. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that the mACCI was a strong predictor of CSS in patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy. We believe that the mACCI will become a novel marker that would guide treatment decisions for patients with gastric cancer suffering from comorbidities.

Robotic Gastrectomy Compared with Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Clinical Stage I/II Gastric Cancer Patients: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Robotic gastrectomy (RG) has been developed to address the drawbacks of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG); however, whether or not RG is superior to conventional LG remains to be seen. The present study aimed to clarify the impact of RG on clinical stage I/II gastric cancer patients. METHODS: The present study included 1208 patients with clinical stage I/II gastric cancer who had minimally invasive gastrectomy from January 2012 to March 2020 at the Shizuoka Cancer Center. The short- and long-term outcomes of RG and LG were compared after propensity score matching. RESULTS: This study involved 835 LG and 345 RG patients. After propensity score matching, there were 342 patients each in the RG and LG groups, with an improved balance of confounding factors between the two groups. RG was associated with a significantly longer operative time and lower amylase concentration in the drainage fluid on the first postoperative day than LG. Furthermore, the incidence of intra-abdominal infectious complications in the RG was lower than that in the LG (4.4% vs. 9.4%; P = 0.015). The survival of the RG and LG groups was equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: RG reduced the risk of intra-abdominal infectious complications in comparison with LG in the propensity score-matched analysis. Patients treated by the two approaches showed equivalent survival.

Long-term outcomes of robotic gastrectomy for clinical stage I gastric cancer: a single-center prospective phase II study.

INTRODUCTION: The outcomes of robotic gastrectomy (RG) for gastric cancer remain unclear due to a lack of prospective studies. We had previously designed and conducted a prospective phase II study of RG that showed favorable short-term outcomes. Herein, we aimed to determine the long-term outcomes of RG for clinical stage I gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This single-center, prospective phase II study enrolled patients with clinical stage I gastric cancer undergoing RG. The survival outcomes, which were the secondary endpoints of the study, were evaluated. RESULTS: Between December 2012 and April 2015, 120 patients were enrolled in this study. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 96.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 91.5-98.7%). The 5-year recurrence-free (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were 96.7% (95% CI 91.5-98.7%) and 99.2% (95% CI 94.3-99.9%), respectively. When confining the analysis to distal and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy, the 5-year OS, RFS, and DSS were 98.1% (95% CI 92.7-99.5%), 98.1% (95% CI 92.7-99.5%), and 100%, respectively. Only one patient died due to relapse of gastric cancer, while three died from other causes. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcomes of RG was comparable to those of open and laparoscopic gastrectomy when the surgeries were performed by experienced surgeons in a high-volume center.

Preserving a Replaced Left Hepatic Artery Arising from the Left Gastric Artery During Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: A replaced left hepatic artery (RLHA) arising from the left gastric artery (LGA) is occasionally encountered during laparoscopic gastrectomy. Although the RLHA is usually divided at the root level as RLHA preservation might result in inadequate lymph node dissection, blood flow disruption by RLHA division may lead to hepatic ischemia. To date, there is no consensus on RLHA preservation. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of RLHA preservation by investigating the short-term outcomes of patients with RLHA who underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG). METHODS: A total of 106 patients with an aberrant LHA from the LGA were identified as having gastric cancer and underwent LDG from 2012 to 2018. Finally, 55 patients were retrospectively diagnosed with RLHA by preoperative computed tomography and included in this study. Patients were classified into the divided (n = 18) or preserved (n = 37) group. Clinicopathological factors and surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The RLHA preservation rate in patients who had been preoperatively diagnosed with RLHA was 88%. No significant difference was found in the number of harvested lymph nodes between the groups. The incidence of hepatic infarction was significantly higher in the divided group (16.7% vs. 0%, p = 0.031). Moreover, RLHA division caused postoperative transaminase elevation and was an independent risk factor for postoperative transaminase elevation (odds ratio: 55.8, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical procedures of RLHA preservation reduced postoperative transaminase elevation and hepatic infarction in patients who underwent LDG. Surgeons should confirm the RLHA preoperatively and preserve it to prevent hepatic damage.

Extra-nodal metastasis should be classified separately from lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Extra-nodal metastasis (ENM) is defined as a tumor nodule without histological evidence of a lymph node structure. Although ENM has pathological features distinct from those of metastatic lymph nodes, both ENM and metastatic lymph nodes are considered within the same category in the pathological nodal (pN) classification. This study aimed to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic relevance of ENM in gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 1207 Japanese patients who underwent curative gastrectomy at a single center between January 2009 and December 2013. All resected specimens were fixed in 10% formalin, processed, and stained using hematoxylin and eosin, and subsequently reviewed by two pathologists. Survival times were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and independent prognostic factors were identified using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Patients who were ENM-positive had significantly poorer overall survival; multivariable analysis revealed that independent prognostic factors were older age (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.60-5.20), higher pathological tumor classification (HR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.43-3.62), presence of metastatic lymph nodes (HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.0-2.36), and ENM-positive status (HR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.48-3.66). ENM-positive patients had similar survival outcomes to those of ENM-negative patients with ≥16 metastatic lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: Among Japanese patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy, ENM was an independent prognostic factor with a prognostic significance different from that of lymph node metastasis. These results suggest that ENM and lymph node metastasis should be classified separately.

Optimal extent of lymph node dissection in patients with gastric cancer who underwent non-curative endoscopic submucosal dissection with a positive vertical margin.

BACKGROUND: The optimal extent of lymph node dissection in patients receiving non-curative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and diagnosed with a positive vertical margin is unclear. This study attempted to identify optimal candidates for D2 lymph node dissection among these patients. METHODS: This study included patients who underwent gastrectomy for primary gastric cancer following non-curative ESD with a positive vertical margin between January 2002 and December 2018. We classified the patients according to the positive vertical margin pattern into an obvious exposure group and a non-obvious exposure group. We developed a score model for predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) using factors selected by multivariate analyses and beta regression coefficients, and the incidence of LNM was evaluated. RESULTS: This study included 110 patients. LNM was detected in 17 patients (15%). We developed a predictive scoring system as follows: tumor size >30 mm (0, No; 1, Yes) + undifferentiated type tumor in the invasive front (0, No; 2, Yes) + depth of submucosal invasion > 1500 µm (0, No; 1, Yes) + obvious tumor exposure at the vertical margin (0, No; 1, Yes). In patients with 5 points, the incidence rates of all and group 2 LNM were as high as 60% and 40%, respectively. Conversely, in patients with fewer than 5 points, the incidence rates of all and group 2 LNM were just 11% and 5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In patients with 5 points according to our score model for predicting LNM, gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection is recommended.

Laparoscopic approach to early gastric cancer in a patient with a prior history of open right hepatectomy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic gastrectomy is regarded a standard treatment procedure for early gastric cancer and is widely used in clinical practice. However, the feasibility of laparoscopic gastrectomy for patients with a prior history of open surgery, especially in the case of a complicated operation, remains unclear. Here, we report a laparoscopic gastrectomy case with a prior history of right hepatectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old man was diagnosed with early gastric cancers preceding a right hepatectomy for a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma at risk of rupture. An additional gastrectomy, after non-curative endoscopic submucosal dissection, was planned after the hepatectomy. Extensive adhesions were found around the liver. Rigid adherence of the duodenum to the adjacent hepatoduodenal ligament had formed. In addition, identification of the hepatic artery was difficult due to stiffening of the mesentery. Peeling off the adhesions from the ventral side of the duodenum revealed the supra-pyloric vessels and enabled us to transect the duodenum safely. Further, exposing the proper hepatic artery via the dorsal side of the mesentery and subsequent supra-pancreatic dissection on the outermost layer allowed effective identification of the right gastric artery. The postoperative course was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully performed total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy on a patient with a prior history of major hepatectomy.