Prognostic effects of lymph node micrometastases in patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for cancer.
OBJECTIVE
It is not known whether the presence of micrometastases in the regional lymph nodes has an impact on the oncologic outcome of patients undergoing a curative (R0) gastrectomy for cancer. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of the presence of micrometastases on survival.


METHODS
We reviewed 29 patients operated on for curative (R0) gastrectomy, with a final diagnosis of pN0, 16 or more lymph nodes in the specimen, and a follow-up of at least 4 years. The original hemotoxylin and eosin slides were reviewed, and a new section was cut from the lymph nodes and immunostained with a pool of antibodies against different types of cytokeratins. Micrometastases were detected in 5 patients (27.5% of the series) and 11 lymph nodes (1.51% of all removed lymph nodes).


RESULTS
Mortality due to cancer progression occurred in 3 patients from the pN0 group (14.2%) and 1 patient from the pN1 group (12.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
There was no suggestion from the data that the presence of micrometastases carries an ominous prognosis in terms of survival.
Bozzetti
F
F
Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy. dottfb@tin.it
Andreola
S
S
Bignami
P
P
Sirizzotti
G
G
D018450:Disease Progression; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis