title: Lymph node status in patients with submucosal gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to clarify the lymph node status in patients with submucosal gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between April 1994 and December 1999, 615 patients with histologically proven submucosal gastric cancer who underwent curative resection were included in this study. The results of the surgery and predictive factors for lymph node metastasis were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. The accuracy of the predictive factors was assessed in a second population of a further 186 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lymph node metastasis was observed in 119 patients (19.3%). Multivariate analysis showed that pathologic tumor diameter (> or = 20 mm) and lymphatic invasion were independent predictive factors for lymph node metastasis. The incidence of lymph node metastasis without these 2 predictive factors was 1.8% (2 of 113), and it was 51.2% (85 of 166) with the 2 predictive factors, 9.5% (14 of 148) in tumors < 20 mm in diameter, and 5.3% (22 of 414) in tumors without lymphatic invasion. Among patients with a tumor < 20 mm in diameter, the incidence of lymph node metastasis was significantly reduced in those with a differentiated tumor: 4.2% (4 of 95). These results were almost identical to those observed in the second population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lymph node status can be accurately predicted on the basis of pathologic tumor diameter < 20 mm, lymphatic invasion (absence), and histological type (differentiated) in patients with submucosal gastric cancer. Less extensive surgery for these patients might be reconsidered after confirmation of the reproducibility of the results of this study by an appropriately designed prospective clinical trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan. s0714@med.yokohama-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Chikara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunisaki
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: Goro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.forename: Hidetaka A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takagawa
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagahori
authors.forename: Masazumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Fumihiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kito
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimada
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate