Acceleration of sarcopenia in elderly patients who develop asymptomatic pneumonia shadow within one year after surgery for early gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although early gastric cancer is curable with local treatment, the overall survival in elderly patients did not reach 80% at five years after surgery. The major cause of death in elderly patients with early gastric cancer is not cancer itself but is related to postoperative sarcopenia. Elderly patients frequently develop postoperative asymptomatic pneumonia shadow, which is associated with a poor prognosis. However, why asymptomatic pneumonia shadow worsens the prognosis remains unclear. We investigated whether sarcopenia is accelerated in patients who developed asymptomatic pneumonia shadow. METHODS: We retrospectively examined patients of > 75 years of age who underwent R0 gastrectomy for gastric cancer and were diagnosed with T1 disease at National Cancer Center Hospital between 2005 and 2012. The diagnosis of asymptomatic pneumonia shadow was defined by diagnostic findings of pneumonia (consolidation type, reticular type, and nodular type) which were newly observed on chest computed tomography performed one year after surgery in comparison to preoperative computed tomography. Postoperative muscle loss was assessed by a computed tomography-based analysis using the L3 skeletal muscle index before and two years after surgery and the rate of decrease was calculated. Patients were classified into two groups according to the rate of decrease (cut-off value: 10%). RESULTS: Of the 3412 patients who underwent gastrectomy in our hospital during the study period, 142 were included in this study. Asymptomatic pneumonia shadow was found in 26 patients (18%). Patients who developed asymptomatic pneumonia shadow showed a significantly greater loss of muscle volume in comparison to patients who did not develop asymptomatic pneumonia shadow. In the multivariate analysis, total gastrectomy and asymptomatic pneumonia shadow were the independent risk factors for severe muscle loss. However, there was no significant difference in prognosis between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia was accelerated in elderly patients who developed asymptomatic pneumonia shadow after surgery for early gastric cancer. However, the poor prognosis in these patients may not be related to accelerated sarcopenia.

Long-term postoperative pneumonia in elderly patients with early gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a major cause of death in the elderly population. Considering body weight loss, muscle loss, and reflux after gastrectomy, elderly patients are considered to be at very high risk for pneumonia, which could decrease overall survival because early gastric cancer is mostly curable only by surgery. We aimed to clarify the incidence of pneumonia in the long-term period after gastrectomy in elderly patients who were diagnosed with early gastric cancer and its risk factors. METHODS: We retrospectively examined patients of > 75 years of age who underwent R0 gastrectomy for gastric cancer and who were diagnosed with T1 disease at National Cancer Center Hospital between 2005 and 2012. Long-term postoperative pneumonia was diagnosed by chest computed tomography every year until 2 years after surgery. The presence of preoperative sarcopenia was assessed using preoperative L3 skeletal muscle index. RESULTS: 167 patients were included in this study. Long-term postoperative pneumonia was observed in 44 (26%) patients. Of the 44 people diagnosed with long-term postoperative pneumonia, 33 were diagnosed in the 1st year and 11 in the 2nd year. 117 patients (70%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia which was significantly frequently found in the patients who developed long-term postoperative pneumonia (91%) than those without (63%). Preoperative sarcopenia was the only independent risk factor in multivariate analysis. Type of gastrectomy was not a significant risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term postoperative pneumonia was frequently observed in the elderly patients. Preoperative sarcopenia was associated with long-term postoperative pneumonia in elderly patients who underwent curative surgery for gastric cancer. After gastrectomy, long-term special care would be required for elderly patients, especially with sarcopenia.

The prognostic impact of macroscopic serosal change on resectable advanced gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Advanced gastric cancer sometimes causes macroscopic serosal change (MSC) due to direct invasion or inflammation. However, the prognostic significance of MSC remains unclear. METHODS: A total of 1410 patients who had been diagnosed with deeper-than-pathological-T2 gastric cancer and undergone R0 gastrectomy with lymph node dissection at the National Cancer Center Hospital during January 2000 and December 2012 were restrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: MSC was not found in 108 of the 506 patients with pathological T4a (21.3%), whereas it was detected in 250 of the 904 patients with pathological T2-T3 (27.7%). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for diagnosing pathological serosa exposed (SE) by MSC were 78.7, 72.3 and 74.6%, respectively. The MSC-positive cases had a worse 5-year overall survival (OS) than the MSC-negative cases in pT3 (72.9% vs. 84.3%, p = 0.001), pT4a (56.2% vs. 73.4%, p = 0.001), pStageIIB (76.0% vs. 88.4%, p = 0.005), pStageIIIA (63.4% vs. 75.6%, p = 0.019), pStageIIIB (53.6% vs. 69.2%, p = 0.029) and pStage IIIC (27.6% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.062). A multivariate analysis showed that MSC was a significant independent predictor for the OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.587, 95%CI 1.209-2.083, p = 0.001) along with the tumor depth (HR: 7.742, 95%CI: 2.935-20.421, p < 0.001), nodal status (HR:5.783, 95% CI 3.985-8.391, p < 0.001) and age (HR:2.382, 95%CI: 1.918-2.957, p < 0.001). Peritoneal recurrence rates were higher in the MSC-positive cases than in the MSC-negative cases at each pT stage. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the MSC was one of the independent prognostic factors in patients with resectable locally advanced gastric cancer.

Intraoperative blood loss as an independent prognostic factor for curative resection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer: a single-center retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Surgery-induced factors such as postoperative infectious complications (PICs) and intraoperative blood loss (IBL) have a negative impact on the survival of patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer. A recent study showed that neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) could reduce the negative impact of PICs; hence, we conducted the present study to investigate if NAC can also reduce the negative prognostic impact of IBL. METHODS: We reviewed 115 gastric cancer patients treated with NAC and radical gastrectomy. The cut-off for IBL predicting the long-term survival was assessed by a receiver operating characteristic curve. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the association between patient characteristics including IBL, overall survival, and disease-free survival. RESULTS: The cut-off for IBL was set at 990 ml. Twenty-six patients had excessive IBL exceeding 990 ml (22.6%) and PICs developed in 33 patients (28.7%). The body mass index, IBL, ypT, and ypN were significant independent prognostic predictors, but PICs were not. CONCLUSION: NAC did not decrease the risk induced by excessive IBL. The prophylactic effect of NAC on surgery-induced risk was inconsistent.

Is surgery alone sufficient for treating T1 gastric cancer with extensive lymph node metastases?

BACKGROUND: Whether or not surgery alone is sufficient for treating patients with pathological stage T1N2M0 (Stage IIA), T1N3a/bM0 (Stage IIB/IIIB), and T3N0M0 (Stage IIA) gastric cancer who were not indicated for adjuvant treatment according to the Japanese gastric cancer treatment guideline remains unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 236 patients who had been diagnosed with pT1N2-3b/pT3N0 gastric cancer and undergone R0 gastrectomy with lymph node dissection between January 2000 and December 2012 at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Japan. RESULTS: The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates (95% confidence interval [CI]) of the patients with pathological (p) T1N2-3b and T3N0 cancer were 73.9% (63.1-84.7) and 89.5% (84.0-95.0), respectively. The only significant prognostic factors for the survival identified by a multivariate Cox regression analysis in patients with pT1N2-3 cancer were the pN stage (N3a/N2: hazard ratio [HR] 2.940, 95% CI 1.314-5.577; N3b/N2: HR 8.688, 95% CI 3.096-24.382) and tumor diameter (<30/ ≥ 30 mm) (HR 2.919; 95% CI 1.351-6.304). We divided the patients with pT1N2-3 gastric cancer into 3 risk categories (high, moderate, low) using these 2 significant prognostic factors and found that the 5-year RFS rates were significantly different among the 3 risk groups (low risk, 93.0%; moderate risk, 66.7%; high risk, 25.0%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: pT3N0 and large pT1N2 with a diameter ≥ 30 mm had an excellent prognosis, while pT1N2-3 with at least N3a/b or a tumor diameter < 30 mm showed a relatively poor prognosis. These patients may be candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy.

Is splenectomy for dissecting splenic hilar lymph nodes justified for scirrhous gastric cancer?

BACKGROUND: Splenectomy for dissecting splenic hilar lymph nodes (#10) should be avoided for most gastric cancer, considering the high morbidity and lack of any survival benefit, but it is often selected for scirrhous gastric cancer because this type frequently invades the whole stomach and lymph nodes. Splenectomy is necessary for dissecting #10; however, the survival benefit of dissecting #10 is unclear. METHODS: Patients who had scirrhous gastric cancer and underwent D2 total gastrectomy with splenectomy at National Cancer Center Hospital, Japan, between 2000 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. The therapeutic value index was calculated by multiplying the metastatic rate of each nodal station and the 5-year survival of patients who had metastasis to each node. RESULTS: In total, 137 patients were eligible for the present study. The most frequent metastatic node was #3(58%), followed by #4d(46%), #1(35%), #4sb(23%), #6(22%), #7(21%), #4sa(18%), #10(15%), #2(14%), #11p(14%), #11d(13%), #9(13%), and #8a(11%). These lymph nodes had a metastatic rate of more than 10%. The node station with the highest index was #3(18.9), followed by #4d(14.1), #1(10.8), #4sa(6.11), #4sb(6.06), #10(5.09), #7(4.39), #11d(4.36), #11p(4.06), #2(2.93), #8a(2.18), and #9(1.45). The index of #10 exceeded that of #2, #7, #8a, and #9, which are the key nodes dissected in D2. CONCLUSION: The metastatic rate of the splenic hilar lymph nodes was relatively high, and the therapeutic index was the sixth highest among the 15 regional lymph nodes included in D2 dissection. Splenectomy for dissecting splenic hilar lymph nodes would be justified for scirrhous gastric cancer.

Different risks of nodal metastasis by tumor location in remnant gastric cancer after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Curative surgery for remnant gastric cancer (RGC) after gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC) can be challenging. We examined the risk factors for lymph node metastasis in RGC, especially for tumors located at the greater curvature (G) or non-greater curvature (NG), to determine the appropriate indications of curative surgery. METHODS: Data from the two high-volume centers of Japan between 1998 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Among the 137 patients enrolled in this study, 34 were classified as the G group and 103 as the NG group. The incidence of lymph node metastasis and its risk factors was evaluated. RESULTS: Lymph node metastasis was observed in 21.2% (29/137), including 38.2% (13/34) in the G group and 15.5% (16/103) in the NG group (p = 0.008). A logistic regression analysis showed that tumor location of G or NG (p = 0.042), tumor size (p = 0.002) and depth of invasion (p = 0.009) were significant independent risk factors for nodal metastasis. Risk classification using these factors showed that clinical T1-T2 with a maximum size < 35 mm located at the non-greater curvature had the lowest nodal metastatic risk (4.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor location at the G or NG was a significant risk factor for nodal metastasis in RGC. When selecting curative surgery for RGC, physicians should consider the nodal metastatic risk calculated by the tumor location, size and depth of invasion.

Extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumor arising in the lesser omentum with a platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) mutation: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) arising from sites other than the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, termed extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors (EGIST), are rare. Among EGIST, those with platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) mutations are even rarer, with only a few cases reported. About 80% of GIST has KIT mutations, and 10% of GIST have PDGFRA mutations, which commonly affect the TK2 domain (exon 18). Among the exon 18 mutations, the D842V substitution is limited to gastric GIST. In EGIST, the degree of KIT and PDGFRA mutations varies on where the location of the tumor is, and it is suggested that omental EGIST is similar to gastric GIST. Adjuvant imatinib therapy is recommended for high-risk GIST; however, it is known that imatinib is less effective against GIST with a PDGFRA D842V mutation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old man was referred to our hospital with an extrinsic tumor of the lesser curvature of the gastric body. Intraoperative findings showed a tumor located outside of the lesser omentum with no connection between the tumor and the gastric wall. The tumor was subsequently resected. Pathological examination indicated a GIST arising in the lesser omentum measuring 70 mm in its longer dimension. Because the tumor had a PDGFRA mutation (D842V substitution), imatinib was suspected to lack efficacy to the tumor. Thus, although the tumor was considered clinically to have a high risk of recurrence, adjuvant imatinib therapy was not indicated. The patient has been free of recurrence for 29 months since the surgery. CONCLUSION: We described a case of EGIST with a PDGFRA mutation arising in the lesser omentum. And we reviewed 57 cases of omental EGIST and showed that the clinicopathological characteristics and mutation status in omental EGIST were very similar to gastric GIST. In particular, PDGFAR D842V mutation rate in omental EGIST seemed as high as that in gastric GIST. These results suggested that omental EGIST is strongly related to gastric GIST, so the behavior of omental EGIST might be akin to gastric GIST. However, further studies are required to determine the prognosis and the necessity of adjuvant therapy for EGIST with a PDGFRA mutation.

A nodal diagnosis by computed tomography is unreliable for patients who need additional gastrectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection.

PURPOSE: T1 gastric cancer is treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or surgery, considering the risk of lymph node metastasis. Additional gastrectomy is necessary when the pathological specimens after ESD show some risk of lymph node metastasis. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) after ESD sometimes reveals enlarged lymph nodes, which should prompt surgeons to select D2 over D1/D1+. However, whether or not CT after ESD is reliable remains unclear. METHODS: Patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for clinical T1 between April 2015 and June 2019 were enrolled. The patients were classified into those who underwent CT after ESD (group A) and those who underwent CT before primary surgery or ESD (group B). The accuracy of the nodal diagnosis was compared between groups. RESULTS: A total of 650 patients (group A; 81, group B; 569) were examined. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value (group A vs. group B) were 77.8% vs. 84.2%, 0.0% vs. 15.9%, 84.0% vs. 95.7%, 0.0% vs. 38.2%, and 91.3% vs. 87.1%, respectively. The false-positive rate was 100% in group A and 61.8% in group B (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: A nodal diagnosis by CT is unreliable for patients who need additional gastrectomy after ESD.

Predictive value of the surgical Apgar score on postoperative complications in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical gastrectomy: a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The surgical Apgar score (SAS) or modified SAS (mSAS) has been reported as a simple and easy risk assessment system for predicting postoperative complications in primary surgery for gastric cancer. However, few studies have described the SAS's utility in gastric surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). METHODS: One hundred and fifteen patients who received NAC and radical gastrectomy from 2008 and 2015 were included in this study. The SAS was determined by the estimated blood loss (EBL), lowest intraoperative mean arterial pressure, and lowest heart rate. The mSAS was determined by the EBL reassessed using the interquartile values. The predictive values of the SAS/mSAS for postoperative complications were assessed with univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Among the 115 patients, 41 (35.7%) developed postoperative complications. According to analyses with receiver operating characteristic curves of the SAS and mSAS for predicting postoperative complications, the cut-off value of the mSAS was set at 8. The rates of anastomotic leakage, pancreatic fistula, and arrhythmia in patients with high mSAS (> 8) values were higher than in those with low (0-3) and moderate [1-4] mSAS values. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the operation time, body mass index, and diabetes mellitus were independent risk factors for postoperative complications. The mSAS was not a significant predictor. CONCLUSION: The predictive value of SAS or mSAS for morbidity may be limited in patients who undergo gastric cancer surgery after NAC. Future prospective studies with a large sample size will be needed to confirm the present results.

Laparoscopic resection of a primary diaphragmatic schwannoma: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Schwannomas are nerve sheath tumors that commonly originate from the stomach and small intestine. A primary schwannoma of the diaphragm is rare and does not show any symptoms until it grows to a certain size. Hence, it is extremely rare that it was found at a size that allowed resection under videoscopic surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: A 77-year-old woman was referred to our department for surgical treatment of a tumor located near the gastric fornix. She underwent a routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy 2 years and 7 months prior to the referral. It was suspected that she had a submucosal tumor measuring 10 mm, located in the fornix, and was then referred to her previous physician. During her follow-up, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) revealed that the cystic structure had continued to grow toward the gastric wall, and she was then referred to the endoscopy division of our hospital. She continued to be followed-up, and it was noted that the tumor was gradually increasing in size. Therefore, she requested surgical resection, and was finally referred to our division. Since the tumor was rather small, we planned a laparoscopic surgery. An initial examination during the operation revealed that the tumor was located on the left diaphragm. Since the tumor was relatively small and visibility was good, we decided to continue with the laparoscopic surgery. Partial diaphragmectomy with complete inclusion of the tumor was performed, and the defect of the diaphragm was directly closed by a running suture. Pathological examination revealed a benign schwannoma that had originated from the diaphragm. To support our findings, we also reviewed the scientific literature on diaphragmatic schwannoma cases reported up to April 2020. CONCLUSIONS: In this extremely rare case, we successfully resected the diaphragmatic schwannoma using laparoscopic surgery.

Diagnostic Accuracy and Usefulness of Intraoperative Margin Assessment by Frozen Section in Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative frozen examination is clinically important for negative margin confirmation in cancer surgery. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of frozen-section assessment and risk factors for positive resection margins by studying gastric cancer specimens from 1115 patients treated at our hospital. METHODS: The results of gastric cancer patients who had undergone intraoperative margin assessment, employing frozen examination, with curative intent in our unit between 2000 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Frozen section assessments were compared with the corresponding permanent section assessments to evaluate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the former. The causes of discordances between two assessments were examined. In addition, risk factors associated with positive margins were identified. RESULTS: In total, 1241 specimens were obtained from the 1115 patients. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of frozen-section assessments were 99.4%, 99.5%, and 97.8%, respectively. There were eight discordant cases. Two false-negative cases required another gastrectomy after final pathological diagnosis because of missed neoplastic cells. Six false-positive cases underwent unnecessary additional resection due to false positive results. In our frozen series, 89 cases had a positive margin on permanent section. Multivariate regression analysis of patients with positive surgical margins revealed large diameter (≥ 50 mm) and T4 tumor to be independent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative frozen examination is a highly accurate method that is useful for achieving negative margins. This procedure is especially recommended for patients with a tumor larger than 50 mm in maximum diameter or serosal invasion to confirm a negative margin.

The Therapeutic Survival Benefit of Splenic Hilar Nodal Dissection for Advanced Proximal Gastric Cancer Invading the Greater Curvature.

BACKGROUND: The Japan Clinical Oncology Group phase 3 study confirmed the survival non-inferiority of spleen-preserving surgery against splenectomy for advanced proximal gastric cancer not invading the greater curvature. However, the efficacy of #10 lymph node (LN) dissection for tumors that involve the greater curvature remains unclear. METHODS: Data from patients who underwent D2-total gastrectomy with splenectomy between January 2000 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The study included 593 patients. The patients were split into two groups, with 212 patients in the tumor invasion of the greater curvature (Gre) group and 381 patients in the non-Gre group. Survival curves and the state of LN metastasis and the index of estimated benefit from LN dissection of each station were evaluated. RESULTS: The incidence of #10 LN metastasis was 8.1% (48/593): 15.1% in the Gre group and 4.2% in the non-Gre group. The 5-year overall survival rates for the patients with and without #10 metastasis were respectively 46.9 and 50.2% (P = 0.829) in the Gre group and 49.6 and 62.3% (P = 0.074) in the non-Gre group. The indices for #10 LN dissection were 7.1 in the Gre group and 2.3 in the non-Gre group. In the Gre group, the node station with the highest index was #3, followed by #4d, #1, #4sb, #4sa, #7, #2, #10 (index > 7). CONCLUSION: The splenic hilar nodes should be prioritized as a component of D2 lymphadenectomy for advanced gastric cancer invading the greater curvature based on its high metastatic rate and index.

Correction to: Oncological safety of proximal gastrectomy for T2/T3 proximal gastric cancer.

The correct name of the corresponding author should be "Takaki Yoshikawa", and not "Takaki Yoshiaki" as given in the original publication of the article.

Does neoadjuvant chemotherapy cancel out the negative survival impact induced by surgical complications after gastrectomy?

BACKGROUND: Postoperative infectious complications (ICs) are associated with a poor prognosis following gastric cancer surgery. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) targeting scirrhous-type or bulky nodal disease reportedly exerts a prophylactic effect on the negative impact of ICs. However, a recent study clearly showed that NAC for scirrhous-type disease had no survival benefit. We investigated this prophylactic effect and significant interactions among subgroups of histological response, macroscopic type, and bulky nodal disease. METHODS: We examined 115 patients who received NAC followed by radical gastrectomy between January 2008 and December 2015. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared between those with and without ICs. Our cohort included 62 with type 4/giant type 3, 44 with bulky nodal disease/para-aortic nodal disease, and 25 with other diseases. RESULTS: A histological response was observed in 80 patients (69.5%). Thirty three (28.7%) developed ICs. There was no significant difference in the OS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47-1.99, p = 0.920] or DFS (HR 0.74; 95% CI 0.40-1.38, p = 0.342) by the presence of ICs. The HR was 1.00 in patients who had no response to NAC (grade 0/1a) and 0.95 in those who responded to NAC (grade 1b/2/3). No subgroups showed significant interactions for the OS. CONCLUSIONS: NAC may cancel out the negative impact of morbidity on the survival in advanced gastric cancer patients. The prophylactic effects by NAC do not depend on the tumor type or histological response.

Oncological safety of proximal gastrectomy for T2/T3 proximal gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear whether total gastrectomy is necessary for patients with proximal T2/T3 gastric cancer. To explore the oncological safety of proximal gastrectomy for proximal T2/T3 gastric cancer, in this study, we evaluated the metastatic rates in and the therapeutic effect of dissection of key distal lymph node stations that are usually excluded in proximal gastrectomy. METHODS: In this study, we examined 202 patients seen between January 2000 and December 2012, who underwent total gastrectomy with lymph node dissection (D1/D1+/D2; 2/17/183) and was pathologically diagnosed as T2/T3 gastric cancer exclusively located in the upper third of the stomach. The theoretical therapeutic necessity of dissecting lymph nodes at each lymph node station was evaluated based on the therapeutic index calculated by multiplying the frequency of metastasis at each station and the 5-year survival rate of patients with metastasis to that station. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival rate (95% confidence interval) was 72.9% (65.5-80.3). The metastatic rates at #4d and #12a were very low (0.99% and 0.006%, respectively), and those at #5 and #6 were zero, and therapeutic indices for #4d, #5, #6 and #12a were zero. On the other hand, the most frequent metastatic station was #3, followed by #1, #2 and #7 (overall metastatic rate > 12%), which was consistent with the order of the therapeutic indices. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the nodal stations that need to be dissected, proximal gastrectomy would be the choice and oncologically safe for patients with T2/T3 proximal gastric cancer.

Double-tract reconstruction after laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy using detachable ENDO-PSD.

BACKGROUND: Proximal gastrectomy (PG) is widely performed in Japan as a function-preserving surgical approach. Since esophagogastrostomy (EG) was associated with increased reflux symptoms and anastomotic strictures, we have chosen double-tract reconstruction (DTR) as the standard reconstruction method since March 2013. In this study, we described a novel method of laparoscopic DTR using detachable ENDO-PSD and compared its 1-year outcome with EG performed formerly in our institution. METHODS: Patients who underwent laparoscopic PG between May 2005 and July 2014 were retrospectively divided into two groups based on the type of reconstruction and were subsequently analyzed (19 patients in the DTR group and 22 in the EG group). All of them underwent a laparoscopic PG with regional lymph node dissection. In the DTR group, the lower left port site was extended to 4 cm, and an intracorporeal purse-string suture was performed using the detachable ENDO-PSD. The jejunogastrostomy was fashioned on the anterior side of the remnant stomach parallel to the transection line, 2 cm from the cut end. The EG group used the conventional purse-string suture instrument through the 6 cm upper midline mini-laparotomy incision. Patient characteristics, operative data, early operative complications and 1-year postoperative follow-up findings were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The frequencies of reflux symptoms (10.5 vs. 54.5%, P = 0.003), usage of proton pump inhibitors (31.6 vs. 72.7%, P = 0.008), and anastomotic strictures (0 vs. 27%, P = 0.014) were significantly lower in the DTR group as compared to the EG group. There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative complications, average postoperative/preoperative weight loss ratio, and postoperative/preoperative ratio of biochemical markers (hemoglobin, total protein, albumin, cholesterol). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that DTR is a useful reconstruction method after PG, especially in terms of preventing reflux esophagitis and anastomotic strictures.

Esophagojejunostomy Using the Purse-String Suturing Device After Laparoscopic Total or Proximal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Performing a safe esophagojejunostomy is important for the standardization of laparoscopic total gastrectomy. We have performed intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy by a circular stapler using the purse-string suturing device that we co-developed. The advantage of this device is that it makes use of the same surgical procedure as open surgery, but it does not depend on the surgeon's technical skills since this device does not require the laparoscopic hand-sewn technique. Furthermore, we have also adapted this device for double-tract reconstruction after laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy. In this study, we present the surgical procedures and postoperative short-term outcomes that were obtained using this novel technique. METHODS: We enrolled 94 patients that underwent intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy by circular stapler using our device after laparoscopic total or proximal gastrectomy for gastric cancer between November 2009 and October 2016. RESULTS: Postoperative complications related to esophagojejunostomy were due to anastomotic stenosis in two cases (2.1%) and leakage of the jejunum stump in one case (1.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy by circular stapler using the purse-string suturing device is safe and feasible. This method can be one of the standard procedures for performing intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy.

Risk Factor of Pancreatic Fistula after Radical Gastrectomy from the Viewpoint of Fatty Pancreas.

BACKGROUND: We suspected that fatty pancreas, accompanied with metabolic syndrome, may be associated with the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after radial gastrectomy. METHODS: Between February 2012 and March 2014, we reviewed consecutive 79 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical gastrectomy. To quantify the degree of fatty infiltration to pancreas by preoperative contrast-enhanced CT, we measured ratios and differences between pancreatic and splenic attenuation values (P/S and P-S, respectively). The optimal cut-off values of P/S and P-S for predicting POPF were determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Risk factors for POPF of International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula grade B or higher were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: POPF occurred in 6 patients (7.6%). ROC curve analyses revealed that the most optimal predictive values of P/S and P-S were 0.74 and -28.8, respectively. Univariate analysis demonstrated that high visceral fat area (p = 0.037), low P/S (p = 0.013), and low P-S (p = 0.006) were significant risk factors of POPF. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that low P/S (OR 10.2 [p = 0.046]) and low P-S (OR 13.2 [p = 0.023]) were significant risk factors of POPF. CONCLUSION: Fatty pancreas is a risk factor of POPF after radical gastrectomy.

High expression of EphA3 (erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular A3) in gastric cancer is associated with metastasis and poor survival.

BACKGROUND: As the major subfamily of receptor tyrosine, erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular (Eph) receptor has been related to progression and prognosis in different types of tumors. However, the role and mechanism of EPHA3 in gastric cancer is still not well understood. METHODS: Specimen were collected from 202 patients who underwent gastric resection for gastric adenocarcinoma. The expression of EphA3 was studied using immunohistochemistry. We analyzed the clinicopathological factors and prognostic relevance of EphA3 expression in gastric cancer. RESULTS: High expression of EphA3 was associated with male predominance (p = 0.031), differentiated histology (p < 0.001), depth of tumor (p = 0.002), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001), distant metastasis (p = 0.021), liver metastasis (p = 0.024), advanced stage (p < 0.001), and high HER2 expression (p = 0.017). Relapse-free survival (RFS) was significantly worse in patients with high expression of EphA3 than in those with low expression of EphA3 (p = 0.014). Multivariate analysis for RFS showed that depth of tumor [hazard ratio (HR) 9.333, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.183-39.911, p = 0.003] and lymph node metastasis [hazard ratio (HR) 5.734, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.349-13.997, p < 0.001] were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that high expression EphA3 may participate in metastasis and worse survival.