title: [Pattern of solitary lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer and its clinical significance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the pattern of solitary lymph node metastasis in order to offer more suitable treatment for patients with gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five patients received operation between July 1999 and June 2004 with only 1 metastatic lymph node identified by postoperative pathological examination were included in the study. Data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS 13.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Univariable analysis showed that only the tumor diameter differed significantly between patients with skipping metastatic (SM) lymph node and those without SM (chi(2)=4.447, P=0.035). No clinicopathological factors showed statistically differences between patients with lymph node transverse metastasis (TM) and those without TM. However, both of two comparative groups showed statistically differences in long-term survival (P=0.000, P=0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer follows the rule of "near-to-far", but some special metastasis patterns (SM, TM) are not rare. Proper lymph node dissection especially for patients with high risk should be performed to reduce tumor recurrence and improve long-time survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Key Lab of Tianjin Cancer Prevention and Management, Tianjin 300060, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xiao-na
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ru-peng
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xue-wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Xiang-yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*