title: Prognostic factors in patients with node-negative gastric cancer: a single center experience from China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lymph node metastasis was the most important prognostic factor in gastric cancer. Patients with node-negative gastric cancer presented better survival. However, some of them would die of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors of patients with node-negative gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1996 to 2007, 4,426 patients had undergone curative D2 gastrectomy for gastric cancer at the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Patients with node-negative gastric cancer who underwent curative D2 gastrectomy with more than 15 lymph nodes dissected were selected into this study. The prognostic value of pathological features was investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study included 234 patients with node-negative gastric cancer. The 5-year overall survival in these patients was 85 %. The factors correlating significantly with overall survival on univariate analysis included age (P = 0.016), depth of invasion (P = 0.000), tumor size (P = 0.013), tumor site (P = 0.000), histological grade (P = 0.009), lymphatic tumor emboli (P = 0.014), vascular tumor emboli (P = 0.005), and nervous invasion (P = 0.033). Multivariate analysis showed that lymphatic tumor emboli (hazard ratio (HR) = 7.270), vascular tumor emboli (HR = 3.010), and depth of invasion (HR = 2.735) were defined as independent prognostic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients with node-negative gastric cancer and higher risk for recurrence, the use of adjuvant therapies should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastric Cancer and Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong An Road, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaowen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Yingqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Yanong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult