The number of metastatic lymph nodes is a significant risk factor for bone metastasis and poor outcome after surgery for linitis plastica-type gastric carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Linitis plastica-type gastric carcinoma remains a disease with poor prognosis despite an aggressive surgical approach. Although a prominent pattern of disease failure is peritoneal carcinomatosis, some patients experience rapid disease progression without signs of the peritoneal disease.


METHODS
Clinicopathologic data from 178 patients with linitis plastica-type gastric cancer operated on between 1991 and 2000 were analyzed. Survival stratified by curability of surgery, pN stage, and patterns of failure were evaluated by using the Kaplan-Meier method, and chi(2) test was used to evaluate correlation between the number of metastatic lymph nodes in terms of pN categories and the incidence of various patterns of metastasis and recurrence. Cox regression hazard model was used to identify independent prognostic factors.


RESULTS
R0 resection was performed only among 82 patients (46% of those who underwent laparotomy). Node metastasis was frequent with only 22 patients classified as pN0. Peritoneal carcinomatosis was observed in 131 patients and was the commonest pattern of recurrence. Bone metastasis, found in 13 patients, was associated with poor outcome, and its incidence was significantly correlated with the number of metastatic nodes. pT4 status and pN3 status were identified as significant independent prognostic determinants.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment strategy for the linitis plastica should in general combine surgery with aggressive treatment directed toward peritoneal disease. However, patients with >16 metastatic nodes more often are associated with bone metastasis than those with modest nodal involvement and suffer from poor prognosis.
Department of Surgery II, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65, Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Aichi, Japan. ykodera@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Yasuhiro
Y
Kodera
Seiji
S
Ito
Yoshinari
Y
Mochizuki
Yoshitaka
Y
Yamamura
Kazunari
K
Misawa
Norifumi
N
Ohashi
Goro
G
Nakayama
Masahiko
M
Koike
Michitaka
M
Fujiwara
Akimasa
A
Nakao
D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008039:Linitis Plastica / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome