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Background and Study Aims: Biopsy-based histologic diagnosis is important in determining the treatment strategy for early gastric cancer (EGC). However, there are few studies on how histologic discrepancy may affect patients' treatment outcomes. We aimed to investigate the impact of histopathologic differences between biopsy and final specimens from endoscopic resection (ER) or gastrectomy on treatment outcomes in patients with EGC. We also examined the predictive factors of histologic discrepancy., Patients and Methods: We analyzed the data of 1851 patients with EGC treated with ER or gastrectomy. We compared the histology between biopsies and final resected specimens from ER or gastrectomy. We also examined changes in treatment outcomes according to histologic differences., Results: Histologic discrepancy was observed in 11.9% of patients in the ER group and 10.7% of those in the gastrectomy group. In patients treated with ER who showed histologic discrepancy, 80.9% showed differentiated-type EGC (D-EGC) on biopsy but undifferentiated-type-EGC (UD-EGC) after ER, of which 78.9% were non-curative resection. In patients treated with gastrectomy who showed histologic discrepancy, 39% showed UD-EGC on biopsy but showed D-EGC after gastrectomy. A total of these patients had absolute and expanded indications for ER. Moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma on biopsy were predictive factors of histologic discrepancy in UD-EGC and D-EGC on final resection, respectively., Conclusions: About 10% of patients showed histologic discrepancy between biopsy and final resection with ER or gastrectomy. Histologic discrepancy can affect treatment outcomes, such as non-curative resection in ER or missing the opportunity for ER in gastrectomy.

Introduction: Preoperative body weight and nutritional status are related to prognosis in patients with gastric cancer; however, the prognostic impact of postoperative in these variables is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of preoperative/postoperative body mass index (BMI) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) with prognosis in patients with gastric cancer., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively 1868 patients with stage II/III gastric cancer treated with gastrectomy between January 2006 and December 2010. We divided the populations into 3 groups according to BMI; underweight, normal, and overweight. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to BMI (underweight, normal-weight, overweight). PNI was classified into low and high (cutoff value; 49.7). The association of preoperative BMI/PNI and their changes (6 months postoperatively) with clinicopathologic characteristics were evaluated., Results: Preoperative underweight and low PNI were related to poor prognosis (log-rank p < 0.001 for both). There was a positive correlation between preoperative BMI and PNI (mean preoperative PNI: 51.13 [underweight], 53.37 [normal-weight], and 55.16 [overweight]; p < 0.001). Preoperative BMI and PNI were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival along with age and TNM stage (p < 0.001 for both). BMI changes from normal-weight to underweight and from overweight to normal/underweight were related to poor prognosis (log-rank p = 0.021 and p = 0.013, respectively). PNI changes were related to prognosis in both the preoperative low and high PNI groups (p < 0.001 and p = 0.019, respectively)., Conclusion: Preoperative BMI and PNI and their postoperative changes are related to prognosis in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer. Careful nutritional intervention after gastrectomy can improve prognosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Background/objective: The number of gastric cancer and type II diabetes mellitus is increasing in Korea. Metabolic surgery could be extended to gastric cancer patients with type II diabetes, especially those who are expected to achieve long-term survival. This study aimed to investigate change of diabetic status in patients undergoing long-limb Roux-en-Y bypass reconstruction compared with conventional Billroth II after curative gastrectomy. In total, 130 patients from five university hospital centers underwent long-limb Roux-en Y reconstruction after radical distal gastrectomy., Methods: In the long-limb group, the length of biliopancreatic limbs was more than 80 cm, and the length of the Roux limb was more than 80 cm. The control group comprised 96 patients who underwent conventional Billroth II reconstruction after distal gastrectomy. Follow-up data at three, six, nine, and 12 months were compared between the two groups., Results: Fasting blood sugar (FBS) and hemoglobin (Hb) A1c levels decreased more significantly in the long-limb Roux-en-Y group (FBS: 28.8 mg/dL; HbA1c: 0.72%). However, decreases in body mass index, albumin, and hemoglobin did not differ significantly between the two groups. Diabetes control significantly improved in the long-limb group. In multivariate analysis, long-limb bypass reconstruction was the significant factor for glycemic outcomes., Conclusion: Roux-en-Y bypass with increased length of limbs after gastrectomy shows a favorable glycemic control for gastric cancer patients with type II diabetes without nutritional deficit and anemia. To obtain future perspectives, large-scale prospective studies with long-term outcomes are needed., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.)

Patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) who undergo non-curative endoscopic resection (ER) require additional surgery. The aim of the study was to validate surgical and oncological outcomes according to the timing of additional surgery after non-curative endoscopic resection. We retrospectively analyzed long-term follow-up data on the 302 patients enrolled between January 2007 and December 2014. We validated our earlier suggestion that the optimal time interval from non-curative ER to additional surgery was 29 days. All patients were divided into two groups by reference to time intervals from ER to additional surgery of ≤29days (n = 133; group A) and >29 days (n = 169; group B). The median follow-up duration was 41.98 ± 21.23 months. As in our previous study, group B exhibited better surgical outcomes. A total of 10 patients developed locoregional or distant recurrences during the follow-up period, but no significant difference was evident between the two groups. Interestingly, the survival rate was better in group B. Group B (>29 days) exhibited better surgical and oncological outcomes. Thus, additional gastrectomy after non-curative ER should be delayed for 1 month to ensure optimal surgical and oncological outcomes.

As radical gastrectomy with lymph node dissection is currently the best strategy to cure gastric cancer, the role of the surgeon remains quite important in conquering it. Dr. Sung Hoon Noh, a surgeon and surgical oncologist specializing in gastric cancer, has treated gastric cancer for 30 years and has conducted over 10000 cases of gastrectomy for gastric cancer. He first adapted an electrocautery device into gastric cancer surgery and has led standardization of surgical procedures, including spleen preserving gastrectomy. His procedures based on patient-oriented insights have become the basis of the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery. He has also contributed to improving patient's survival through adoption of a multidisciplinary approach: he proved the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy after radical D2 gastrectomy for stage II/III gastric cancer in clinical trials, updating treatment guidelines throughout the world. Dr. Noh also opened the era of precision medicine for treating gastric cancer, as he developed and validated a mRNA expression based algorithm to predict prognosis and response to chemotherapy. This article reviews his contribution and long history of service in the field of gastric cancer. The perspectives of this master surgeon, based on his profound experience and insights, will outline directions for integrative multidisciplinary health care and how can surgeons prepare for the future., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2019.)

Background: With advances in gastric cancer chemotherapy, conversion surgery has drawn attention as a new strategy to improve the outcome of stage IV disease. We investigated the efficacy of conversion surgery following chemotherapy for patients with stage IV gastric cancer., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinico-pathologic variables and oncologic outcomes for 101 patients with stage IV gastric cancer who were treated with systemic chemotherapy followed by gastrectomy with intension of curative resection from January 2005 to December 2012., Results: In terms of the best response from palliative chemotherapy, complete or partial response were observed in 65 patients (64.4%) in overall. Complete response of metastatic site were observed in 72 (71.3%) and 66 (65.3%) patients as best and pre-operative response, respectively. The overall complete macroscopic resection, rate was 56.4%. Eleven patients (10.9%) received combined metastasectomy. There was no postoperative surgery-related mortality for 1 month. The median overall survival time was 26.0 months. Multivariable analysis identified complete macroscopic resection, chemotherapy response (complete response/partial response) of metastatic sites, and change in CEA level as independent prognostic factors contributing to overall survival., Conclusions: Patients with stage IV gastric cancer who exhibit a good clinical response to chemotherapy might obtain greater survival benefit from gastrectomy following chemotherapy compared with patients who exhibit a poor response to chemotherapy. Prospective, randomized trials are required to determine the best strategy for combining initial chemotherapy with subsequent gastrectomy.

Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery improves survival of patients with stage II-III, resectable gastric cancer. However, the overall survival benefit observed after adjuvant chemotherapy is moderate, suggesting that not all patients with resectable gastric cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy benefit from it. We aimed to develop and validate a predictive test for adjuvant chemotherapy response in patients with resectable, stage II-III gastric cancer., Methods: In this multi-cohort, retrospective study, we developed through a multi-step strategy a predictive test consisting of two rule-based classifier algorithms with predictive value for adjuvant chemotherapy response and prognosis. Exploratory bioinformatics analyses identified biologically relevant candidate genes in gastric cancer transcriptome datasets. In the discovery analysis, a four-gene, real-time RT-PCR assay was developed and analytically validated in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumour tissues from an internal cohort of 307 patients with stage II-III gastric cancer treated at the Yonsei Cancer Center with D2 gastrectomy plus adjuvant fluorouracil-based chemotherapy (n=193) or surgery alone (n=114). The same internal cohort was used to evaluate the prognostic and chemotherapy response predictive value of the single patient classifier genes using associations with 5-year overall survival. The results were validated with a subset (n=625) of FFPE tumour samples from an independent cohort of patients treated in the CLASSIC trial (NCT00411229), who received D2 gastrectomy plus capecitabine and oxaliplatin chemotherapy (n=323) or surgery alone (n=302). The primary endpoint was 5-year overall survival., Findings: We identified four classifier genes related to relevant gastric cancer features (GZMB, WARS, SFRP4, and CDX1) that formed the single patient classifier assay. In the validation cohort, the prognostic single patient classifier (based on the expression of GZMB, WARS, and SFRP4) identified 79 (13%) of 625 patients as low risk, 296 (47%) as intermediate risk, and 250 (40%) as high risk, and 5-year overall survival for these groups was 83·2% (95% CI 75·2-92·0), 74·8% (69·9-80·1), and 66·0% (60·1-72·4), respectively (p=0·012). The predictive single patient classifier (based on the expression of GZMB, WARS, and CDX1) assigned 281 (45%) of 625 patients in the validation cohort to the chemotherapy-benefit group and 344 (55%) to the no-benefit group. In the predicted chemotherapy-benefit group, 5-year overall survival was significantly improved in those patients who had received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery compared with those who received surgery only (80% [95% CI 73·5-87·1] vs 64·5% [56·8-73·3]; univariate hazard ratio 0·47 [95% CI 0·30-0·75], p=0·0015), whereas no such improvement in 5-year overall survival was observed in the no-benefit group (72·9% [66·5-79·9] in patients who received chemotherapy plus surgery vs 72·5% [65·8-79·9] in patients who only had surgery; 0·93 [0·62-1·38], p=0·71). The predictive single patient classifier groups (chemotherapy benefit vs no-benefit) could predict adjuvant chemotherapy benefit in terms of 5-year overall survival in the validation cohort (p interaction =0·036 in univariate analysis). Similar results were obtained in the internal evaluation cohort., Interpretation: The single patient classifiers validated in this study provide clinically important prognostic information independent of standard risk-stratification methods and predicted chemotherapy response after surgery in two independent cohorts of patients with resectable, stage II-III gastric cancer. The single patient classifiers could complement TNM staging to optimise decision making in patients with resectable gastric cancer who are eligible for adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Further validation of these results in prospective studies is warranted., Funding: Ministry of ICT and Future Planning; Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy; and Ministry of Health and Welfare., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Tumor burden is important to predict clinical behaviors of cancer such as lymph node metastasis (LNM). Tumor size has been used as a parameter of tumor burden such as indication of endoscopic resection in early gastric cancer (EGC) to predict LNM. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether tumor area can be more helpful to predict clinical behaviors than longest diameter of tumor in EGC., Patients and Methods: 3,059 patients who underwent gastrectomy for EGC were reviewed retrospectively. Tumor area was calculated by multiplying long and short diameter of the tumor in surgical specimen. Longest diameter means maximal longitudinal diameter of tumor in specimen. Clinicopathologic features were compared between longest diameter and area using area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves., Results: Longest diameter and area of tumor showed a strong correlation (correlation coefficient 0.859, p<0.01). The cutoff value for prediction of LNM was 20 mm of longest diameter of tumor and 270 mm2 of tumor area. There was no significant difference between longest diameter and area for prediction of LNM (AUC 0.850 vs. 0.848, respectively). In differentiated-type EGC and undifferentiated-type EGC, there was no significant difference between longest diameter and area for prediction of LNM. Among mucosal or submucosal cancer prediction value of LNM between longest diameter and area was not significantly different., Conclusion: Tumor area may not be more helpful to predict LNM than longest diameter in EGC. Therefore, the longest diameter of tumor may be sufficient as an indicator of tumor burden in EGC.

Background: Patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) who have undergone noncurative endoscopic resection (ER) generally require additional surgery due to the possibility of lymph node metastasis (LNM). This study aimed to develop a reliable risk-stratification system to predict LNM after noncurative ER for EGC., Methods: A total of 2368 patients had a diagnosis of EGC and underwent ER. The study analyzed 321 patients who underwent additive gastrectomy and lymph node dissection after noncurative ER. Independent risk factors for LNM were identified and used to develop a risk-stratification system to estimate the relative risk of LNM., Results: Of the 321 patients, 23 (7.2%) had LNM. A logistic regression analysis showed that female sex, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and a positive vertical margin were significantly associated with LNM. The authors established a risk-stratification system using sex, LVI, and positive vertical margin (area under the receiver-operating characteristic [AUROC] curve, 0.811). The high-risk LNM group (score, ≥ 2 points) showed a significantly higher risk of LNM than the low-risk LNM group (score, <2 points) (14.0 vs 1.2%). No LNM was found in patients with a risk score of zero. After internal and external validation, the AUROC curve for predicting LNM was 0.788 and 0.842, respectively., Conclusions: The risk-stratification system developed in this study will facilitate identification of patients who should undergo LN dissection after noncurative ER. Although additive surgery should be performed after noncurative ER for patients with a high risk of LNM, a close follow-up visit could be considered for low-risk patients with multiple comorbidities or high operative risks.

Objective: The prognoses of gastric cancer patients vary greatly among countries. Meanwhile, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system shows limited accuracy in predicting patient-specific survival for gastric cancer. The objective of this study was to create a simple, yet universally applicable survival prediction model for surgically treated gastric cancer patients., Summary Background Data: A prediction model of 5-year overall survival for surgically treated gastric cancer patients regardless of curability was developed using a test data set of 11,851 consecutive patients., Methods: The model's coefficients were selected based on univariate and multivariate analysis of patient, tumor, and surgical factors shown to significantly impact survival using a Cox proportional hazards model. For internal validation, discrimination was calculated with the concordance index (C-statistic) using the bootstrap method and calibration assessed. The model was externally validated using 4 data sets from 3 countries., Results: Our model's C-statistic (0.824) showed better discrimination power than current tumor-node-metastasis staging (0.788) (P < 0.0001). Bootstrap internal validation demonstrated that coefficients remained largely unchanged between iterations, with an average C-statistic of 0.822. The model calibration was accurate in predicting 5-year survival. In the external validation, C-statistics showed good discrimination (range: 0.798-0.868) in patient data sets from 4 participating institutions in 3 different countries., Conclusions: Utilizing clinically practical patient, tumor, and surgical information, we developed a universally applicable prediction model for accurately determining the 5-year overall survival of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy. Our predictive model was also valid in patients who underwent noncurative resection or inadequate lymphadenectomy.

Background: Endoscopic resection (ER) is curative treatment option for early gastric cancer (EGC). Additional surgery is required when the tumor pathology is beyond ER indication. It is unclear whether tumor size can be correlated with indications for surgery after ER. Therefore, we aimed to access the role of tumor size for surgical decision making after ER., Methods: We reviewed clinicopathological data from 3246 patients underwent gastrectomy for EGC. The patients were classified into three groups as follows: the ulcer-negative intramucosal cancer with undifferentiated histology, ulcerative intramucosal cancer with differentiated histology, and minute submucosal (SM1) cancer with differentiated histology. The probability of additional surgery after ER was defined as at least one positive result for lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion or perineural invasion. The probability was compared between individual tumor size and ER size criteria in each group using area under receiver operating characteristic curves., Results: The probabilities of ulcer-negative intramucosal cancer with undifferentiated histology, SM1 cancer with differentiated histology and ulcerative intramucosal cancer with differentiated histology were 4.2, 22.1 and 2.5 %. In the ulcerative intramucosal cancer with differentiated histology group, these probabilities increased when the difference in tumor size was >1 mm compared with ER size criteria. The probability was not increased when there was a >10-mm tumor size difference compared with ER size criteria in the other two groups., Conclusions: Tumor size was correlated with ER criteria in patients with ulcerative intramucosal cancer with differentiated histology after ER but was not strictly correlated with ER criteria in the other two patient groups. However, further study may be necessary to validate our results in the future.

Purpose: Early gastric cancer (EGC) of mixed histology is more aggressive than other histologies. In addition, signet ring cell (SRC) mixed histology shows more submucosal invasion and greater lymph node metastasis (LNM). However, there are no criteria for endoscopic resection (ER) in mixed histology. Therefore, this study investigated whether new criteria for mixed histology are necessary for ER in EGC., Methods: From January 2005 to December 2012, 3419 patients with EGC underwent surgery. Lesions were classified using three histological classifications: the Japanese classification; World Health Organization (WHO) classification including SRC mixed histology; and Lauren classification. The mixed type in the Lauren classification was also reclassified according to the proportion of differentiated and undifferentiated components. Clinicopathological characteristics were compared according to histological classifications, with special reference to the ER criteria., Results: With the Lauren classification, 179 (5.3%) lesions were classified as mixed type, including 54 (30.2%) lesions as the differentiated-predominant mixed type. There were 361 (10.6%) lesions classified as SRC mixed histology. Mixed-type lesions in the Lauren classification and SRC mixed lesions were significantly associated with larger size and a greater LNM. Among the lesions meeting the ER criteria, 20 (1.6%) and 55 (4.7%) were categorized as mixed type by the Lauren classification and SRC mixed histology, respectively. However, there was no LNM among the lesions recategorized into mixed histology., Conclusions: Mixed histology showed no LNM among the lesions met the present ER criteria. Thus, separate criteria for mixed histology might be not necessary in the criteria for ER in EGC., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

A survey to evaluate the current status of bariatric and metabolic operations in Korea was conducted. Data from 5467 cases (32 hospitals) were collected. The annual numbers of bariatric and metabolic operations increased each year, from 139 in 2003 to 1686 in 2013. Adjustable gastric band (AGB, 67.2 %) was the most common operation, followed by sleeve gastrectomy (SG, 14.2 %), and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB, 12.7 %). Mean patient age and body mass index (BMI) were 35.4 years and 35.9 kg/m2, respectively. In-hospital morbidity and mortality rates were 6 % (114/2305) and 0.25 % (5/2176), respectively. In Korea, AGB was the most common operation because of the availability and activity of specialized bariatric clinics. These national survey results established a baseline for future data collection.

Background: Some studies have reported lymph node metastasis (LNM) in early gastric cancer (EGC) cases meeting the expanded criteria for endoscopic resection. Therefore, we investigated whether a minor poorly differentiated carcinoma (PDC) component in the submucosal (SM) layer affects LNM in differentiated EGC., Methods: We performed surgery in 1096 patients with differentiated SM gastric cancer and compared the clinicopathologic features of node-positive (n = 194) and node-negative (n = 902) differentiated SM cancer, with special reference to the portion of PDC component in the SM layer., Results: When we categorized patients by the proportion of PDC component in the SM layer, we found 840 patients had <5 % and 256 patients had ≥5 % PDC components in the SM layer. The ≥5 % group was significantly associated with younger age, female sex, moderate differentiation, deep SM invasion, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion, and LNM. In multivariate analysis, middle third location, moderate differentiation, SM2 invasion, size >2 cm, LVI, and PDC components in the SM layer were independent risk factors for LNM. When we limited the depth of invasion to SM1, the incidence of LNM was significantly higher in the ≥5 % group. On multivariate analysis, tumor size >2 cm, moderate differentiation, LVI positivity, and ≥5 % PDC components in the SM1 layer were independent risk factors for LNM in SM1 cancer., Conclusions: The PDC component in the SM layer of differentiated EGC was an independent risk factor of LNM, which might constitute a supplementary criterion in the expanded indications for endoscopic resection in differentiated EGC.

Purpose: Epidural analgesia has been the preferred analgesic technique after major abdominal surgery. On the other hand, the combined use of intrathecal morphine (ITM) and intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IVPCA) has been shown to be a viable alternative approach for analgesia. We hypothesized that ITM combined with IVPCA is as effective as patient controlled thoracic epidural analgesia (PCTEA) with respect to postoperative pain control after conventional open gastrectomy., Materials and Methods: Sixty-four patients undergoing conventional open gastrectomy due to gastric cancer were randomly allocated into the intrathecal morphine combined with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IT) group or patient-controlled thoracic epidural analgesia (EP) group. The IT group received preoperative 0.3 mg of ITM, followed by postoperative IVPCA. The EP group preoperatively underwent epidural catheterization, followed by postoperative PCTEA. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores were assessed until 48 hrs after surgery. Adverse effects related to analgesia, profiles associated with recovery from surgery, and postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery were also evaluated., Results: This study failed to demonstrate the non-inferiority of ITM-IVPCA (n=29) to PCTEA (n=30) with respect to VAS 24 hrs after surgery. Furthermore, the IT group consumed more fentanyl than the EP group did (1247.2±263.7 μg vs. 1048.9±71.7 μg, p<0.001). The IT group took a longer time to ambulate than the EP group (p=0.021) and had higher incidences of postoperative ileus (p=0.012) and pulmonary complications (p=0.05) compared with the EP group., Conclusion: ITM-IVPCA is not as effective as PCTEA in patients undergoing gastrectomy, with respect to pain control, ambulation, postoperative ileus and pulmonary complications.

Background: Currently, gastric cancer staging systems do not consider the anatomic extent of metastatic lymph nodes (mLNs) as a prognostic factor. We therefore investigated the prognostic impact of the anatomic extent of mLNs on gastric cancer., Methods: The prognoses of 4,043 gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection were analyzed. Patients with mLNs in lymph node (LN) stations 1-6 (n = 1,980) comprised the perigastric LN-positive (PLN) group, and patients with mLNs in LN stations 7-12 and 14 (n = 2,063) were assigned to the extraperigastric LN-positive (ELN) group. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated by the Cox proportional hazard model., Results: The ELN group exhibited worse survival than the PLN group (p < 0.001), although there were differences in their clinicopathological features. When patients were stratified according to tumor-node-metastasis stage, the ELN groups had unfavorable prognoses compared with the PLN groups (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in long-term survival when the nodal stage of the current staging systems were subdivided according to anatomic nodal extent (p < 0.05), although there was a strong association between the probability of having extraperigastric mLNs and N classification. In multivariate analysis using age, gender, tumor size, tumor location, histology, T classification, and the extent of mLNs as covariates, presence of extraperigastric mLNs was an independent prognostic factor (HR 1.89, 95 % CI 1.73-2.07), along with age, tumor size, tumor location, and T classification., Conclusions: The anatomic extent of mLNs significantly affects patient prognosis. Including the anatomic extent of mLNs in the current staging system may predict gastric cancer prognosis more accurately in patients with the same stage of cancer.

Background: Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is a function-preserving gastrectomy for early gastric cancers (EGCs) that are preoperatively assessed as pN0 tumors and located in the middle portion of the stomach. In PPG, dissection of the lymph nodes at stations 5 and 6 is frequently incomplete, and this may be worrisome in terms of oncologic safety., Methods: We examined lymph nodes collected from stations 5 and 6 from 196 patients who had undergone conventional distal gastrectomy (CDG) for EGC located in the middle portion of the stomach and from 24 patients who had undergone PPG., Results: The average number of lymph nodes collected at station 5 was significantly lower with PPG than with CDG (0.08 vs. 1.32, respectively; P = 0.008). However, such a difference was not noted for station 6 nodes. The rate of macrometastasis was very low in all station 5 nodes (1 of 220, 0.45%) and station 6 nodes (1 of 220, 0.45%). Immunohistochemical analysis of cytokeratin in 109 cases of the CDG group and 21 cases of the PPG group showed that micrometastasis of single isolated tumor cell type was observed in only one station 6 lymph node of a patient who was initially diagnosed with pN0 EGC. There were no cases of micrometastasis in station 5 nodes., Conclusions: The possibility of micrometastasis to station 5 and/or 6 lymph nodes may be negligible for EGC located in the middle portion of the stomach, and PPG thus might be the oncologically safe procedure when considering micrometastasis in remaining nodes in vivo at stations 5 and 6.

Background: The patients with early gastric cancer who have undergone incomplete endoscopic resection (ER) generally need additional surgery because of the possibility of lymph node metastasis. The aim of study was to evaluate the optimal time interval from ER to additive surgery by evaluating the effect of time interval on the surgical and oncological outcomes., Methods: We analyzed 154 patients who underwent additive gastrectomy after incomplete ER at Severance and Gangnam Severance Hospitals. The time interval point, at which operative time and estimated intraoperative blood loss (EBL) of the earlier operation group and the later operation group showed the greatest disparities, was evaluated. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the time interval point, as the earlier operation group (group A) and the later operation group (group B). We retrospectively evaluated the clinicopathological characteristics and surgical and oncological outcomes., Results: The greatest difference between operative time and EBL was in the groups who underwent operation before and after 29 days. Of the 154 patients, 78 were in group A (≤29 days) and 76 in group B (>29 days). There were no differences in the clinicopathological characteristics and oncological outcomes except for tumor size. The operative time and EBL were significantly longer and more in group A compared with group B., Conclusions: The time interval between ER and additive surgery is associated with surgical outcomes. Additive surgery at about 1 month after ER may be optimal for better surgical outcomes without affecting the oncological outcomes.

Background: Fast-track surgery has been shown to enhance postoperative recovery in several surgical fields. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of fast-track surgery in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy., Methods: The present study was designed as a single-center, randomized, unblinded, parallel-group trial. Patients were eligible if they had gastric cancer for which laparoscopic distal gastrectomy was indicated. The fast-track surgery protocol included intensive preoperative education, a short duration of fasting, a preoperative carbohydrate load, early postoperative ambulation, early feeding, and sufficient pain control using local anesthetics perfused via a local anesthesia pump device, with limited use of opioids. The primary endpoint was the duration of possible and actual postoperative hospital stay., Results: We randomized 47 patients into a fast-track group (n=22) and a conventional pathway group (n=22), with three patients withdrawn. The possible and actual postoperative hospital stays were shorter in the fast-track group than in the conventional group (4.68±0.65 vs. 7.05±0.65; P<0.001 and 5.36±1.46 vs. 7.95±1.98; P<0.001). The time to first flatus and pain intensity were not different between groups; however, a greater frequency of additional pain control was needed in the conventional group (3.64±3.66 vs. 1.64±1.33; P=0.023). The fast-track group was superior to the conventional group in several factors of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, including: fatigue, appetite loss, financial problems, and anxiety. The complication and readmission rates were similar between groups., Conclusions: Fast-track surgery could enhance postoperative recovery, improve immediate postoperative quality of life, and be safely applied in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy.

Aim: To evaluate the prognosis of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after gastrectomy and related factors in gastric cancer patients., Methods: 403 gastric cancer patients with T2DM were studied, who underwent gastrectomy between May 2003 and September 2009. A review of medical records and telephone interviews was performed in this cross-sectional study. The factors included in the statistical analysis were as follows: gender, age, type of surgery, preoperative body mass index (BMI), current BMI, BMI reduction ratio, preoperative insulin or oral diabetic medicine requirement, follow-up duration, and current state of diabetes. Assessment of diabetes status after surgery was classified into four categories according to the change in hypoglycemic agents after surgery and present status of T2DM: resolution, improvement, same, and worse., Results: The mean follow-up duration was 33.7 mo (± 20.6 mo), preoperative BMI was 24.7 kg/m(2) (± 3.0 kg/m(2)), and BMI reduction ratio was 9.8% (± 8.6%). After surgery, T2DM was cured in 58 patients (15.1%) and was improved in 117 patients (30.4%). According to the type of surgery, the BMI reduction ratio was significantly higher in the total gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction group [14.2% ± 9.2% vs 9.2% ± 7.7% (Billroth II group), P < 0.001] and significantly lower in the subtotal gastrectomy and Billroth I reconstruction group [7.6% ± 8.0%, 9.2% ± 7.7% (Billroth II group), P < 0.001]. The BMI reduction ratio, follow-up duration after surgery, type of surgery, extent of gastrectomy, and performance of duodenal bypass were significantly correlated to the course of T2DM (P < 0.05). The BMI reduction ratio was the most influential factor on T2DM status. In a subgroup analysis of patients with a BMI reduction ratio of 10% or less (n = 206), T2DM was cured in 15 (7.6%) patients and was improved in 57 (28.8%) patients after surgery, and only the duration of surgery was significantly correlated to T2DM status (P = 0.022)., Conclusion: The course of T2DM was significantly correlated to the BMI reduction ratio but not to the type of surgery without a significant change in BMI.

Background: Although many reports have indicated the feasibility of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) regarding short-term surgical outcomes, the role of LG remains controversial because studies of long-term outcomes of LG are insufficient. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term oncologic outcomes of patients who have undergone LG., Methods: Between May 2003 and December 2009, 714 consecutive patients underwent LG for gastric cancer. After excluding operative mortality (n = 4) and a case of Krukenberg tumor that was not identified at the time of surgery (n = 1), a total of 709 patients were analyzed for long-term oncologic outcomes. Gastric cancer cases were analyzed according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer classification (seventh edition). Overall survival and relapse-free survival were estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier method., Results: Median follow-up was 46.2 months. Postoperative recurrence was observed in 26 patients (3.7%). The instances of recurrence were as follows: seven peritoneal, six locoregional, five hematogenous, four distant lymph nodes, and four mixed recurrence. There were neither port-site nor wound site metastases. The 5-year relapse-free survival rates were: 95.8% in stage I, 83.4% in stage II, and 46.4% in stage III. Five-year overall survival rates were: 96.4% in stage I, 83.1% in stage II, and 50.2% in stage III. The independent risk factors for recurrence were T stage and N stage. For survival, age, T stage, and N stage were statistically independent prognostic factors, Conclusions: Our single-center study of a large patient series revealed that LG for gastric cancer had acceptable long-term oncologic outcomes comparable to those of conventional open surgery.

Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is a common long-term sequelae after total gastrectomy. Intramuscular injection of vitamin B12 is the only known treatment. We investigated the efficacy and safety of oral vitamin B12 replacement for gastric cancer patients with vitamin B12 deficiency after total gastrectomy., Methods: We performed a single-arm, open-label, fixed-drug dosage, prospective study (NCT00699478) involving gastric cancer patients who underwent total gastrectomy. Vitamin B12-deficient (<200 pg/ml) patients (n = 30) received daily oral vitamin B12 (dosage: 1500 μg mecobalamin) administration for 3 months. The primary outcome measurement was serum vitamin B12. The secondary outcome measurements were improvement of neurologic symptoms and hematologic findings (serum folate, homocysteine, ferritin, iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin, and mean corpuscular volume). For comparison, another group of vitamin B12 deficient patients (n = 30) received intramuscular vitamin B12 injections (dosage: 1000 μg cyanocobalamin) weekly for 5 weeks and monthly thereafter for a total of 3 months in a separate study period., Results: In both groups, mean serum vitamin B12 increased after 30 days of treatment and was maintained up to 90 days. No adverse effects related to oral or intramuscular vitamin B12 replacements were noted. Both groups showed decreased homocysteine levels. Before treatment, 29 patients in the oral vitamin B12 group had neurologic symptoms related to vitamin B12 deficiency. After oral vitamin B12 treatment, 28 patients experienced symptom relief, and 16 patients were symptom free., Conclusions: Oral vitamin B12 replacement is an effective and safe treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency in gastric cancer patients after total gastrectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the comparative safety and efficacy of robotic vs laparoscopic gastrectomy for early-stage gastric cancer., Design: Retrospective analysis., Setting: Tertiary hospital., Patients: Eight hundred twenty-seven patients with gastric cancer., Interventions: Between July 2005 and April 2009, 827 patients with gastric cancer underwent 236 robotic and 591 laparoscopic radical gastrectomies with curative intent. The patients' data were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed., Main Outcome Measures: We performed a comparative analysis between the robotic surgery group and laparoscopic surgery group for preoperative patient characteristics, intraoperative factors, and postoperative morbidity and mortality., Results: The robotic group was younger than the laparoscopic group, but other preoperative patient characteristics did not differ. The mean operative time for the robotic group (219.5 minutes) was on average 49 minutes longer than the laparoscopic group (170.7 minutes) (P < .001), while mean blood loss was significantly less in the robotic group (91.6 mL vs 147.9 mL; P = .002). The robotic group had mortality of 0.4% and morbidity of 11.0%, comparable with those of the laparoscopic group (P > .05). The number of lymph nodes retrieved per level was adequate in both groups and did not differ significantly. Robotic D1+α (n = 5), D1+β (n = 126), and D2 (n = 105) dissections retrieved 27.2, 36.7, and 42.4 mean numbers of lymph nodes, respectively. Except for 3 cases in the laparoscopic group, all specimens had negative margins., Conclusions: Our largest comparative study demonstrates robotic gastrectomy to have better short-term and comparable oncologic outcomes compared with laparoscopic gastrectomy. A robotic approach to gastric cancer is a promising alternative to laparoscopic surgery.

Background: Gastric cancer is very common in Korea and Japan, where many hospitals annually perform high numbers of gastrectomies for gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to compare the general management of gastric cancer in high-volume centers in Korea and Japan., Methods: We undertook a survey of the general management of gastric cancer at high-volume centers (over 200 cases/year) and analyzed the answers., Results: In six of 14 hospitals surveyed, antimicrobial prophylaxis for elective gastrectomy was administered until postoperative day 3. A Levin tube and an abdominal drain were routinely inserted in seven and ten hospitals, respectively. Laboratory tests, such as complete blood cell count, liver function test, electrolytes, and blood urea nitrogen/creatinine were performed frequently on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 5. Sips of water after open distal gastrectomy were restarted up to postoperative day 3 in twelve hospitals. The surgical pathology was reported up to postoperative day 10 in thirteen hospitals. Twelve hospitals provided a regular patient education program and only one hospital provided an integrated education program which included the participation of a surgeon, an oncologist, a nurse, and a nutritionist., Conclusions: The general management of gastric cancer in 14 high-volume centers was not so different among the centers. The general management protocols noted here are expected to provide useful information for perioperative care.

Background: During laparoscopic gastrectomy, it is impossible to identify early gastric cancer (EGC) lesions; therefore, a precise localization technique is required. In this study, we evaluated a novel method of intraoperative portable abdominal radiograph for localization of EGC lesions after preoperative endoscopic clipping., Methods: A retrospective study of 80 patients who had undergone laparoscopic gastrectomies with our intraoperative abdominal radiographic method of tumor localization was performed. During preoperative endoscopy, endoscopic metal clips were applied just proximal to the tumor. A plain abdominal radiograph taken immediately after oral administration of effervescent agents was employed to select candidates for intraoperative localization. Intraoperative vessel clips were laparoscopically applied along the greater and lesser curvatures, and a portable abdominal radiograph was taken to identify the location of endoscopic clips relative to laparoscopic vessel clips., Results: In all patients, endoscopic clips were applied proximal to the lesion without complications. Both intraluminally and extraluminally placed clips were successfully detected by intraoperative portable abdominal radiograph in all patients. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) proximal margin length was 34.2 ± 20.2 mm. All patients had tumor-free resection margin., Conclusions: Preoperative endoscopic clipping and intraoperative portable abdominal radiograph is an accurate and simple tumor localization method in laparoscopic gastrectomy.

Background: Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) is still limited for early gastric cancer (EGC) with low possibility of lymph node (LN) metastasis, due to the concern for incomplete LN dissection and controversial long-term outcomes. We assessed oncological outcomes of laparoscopy-assisted versus open gastrectomy (OG) for patients with LN positive EGC., Methods: Between 2003 and 2007, 204 patients underwent surgery for LN positive EGC. We evaluated adequacy of LN dissection and early and long-term outcomes after OG (n = 162) and LAG (n = 42)., Results: Operative time was longer but hospital stay was shorter for LAG than OG. Postoperative complications occurred in 14 patients (8.6%) after OG and 1 patient (2.4%) after LAG (P = 0.316). Mean number of retrieved LNs and number of retrieved and metastatic LNs for each station did not differ between the two groups. During median 35 months of follow-up, 14 patients (8.6%) developed recurrence after OG, compared with 4 patients (9.5%) after LAG (P = 0.769). Overall 5-year disease-free survival was 89.9% and 89.7% after OG and LAG. Status of LN metastasis was the only independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival., Conclusions: LAG is an oncologically safe procedure even for LN positive EGC. Adequate LN dissection and comparable long-term outcomes to OG can be achieved by LAG., ((c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background/aims: The electrosurgical device ("Bovie") is widely used in various surgical fields. The aim of this study was to introduce a simple method only using Bovie in the trimming of soft tissues along the lesser and greater curvature in gastric cancer surgery., Methodology: Thirty three patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent distal gastrectomy were enrolled in this study between May 2008 and July 2008., Results: There was no significant difference in the total number of vessels along the lesser and greater curvature between the two groups. The time required (sec) for clearing of the soft tissue along the lesser and greater curvature is significantly shorter in the Bovie group than conventional group. The mean blood loss of Bovie group was 142 +/- 52 (ml) and 159 +/- 44 (ml) in the conventional group, and there was no significant blood loss between the two groups (p = 0.333). Postoperative complications occurred in 6 (18.2 %) patients, including one pneumonia, three wound infection, one postoperative ileus, and two intra-abdominal abscesses., Conclusions: A simple method using Bovie in the trimming of the lesser and greater curvatures is a feasible and convenient method that can shorten operation time in gastric cancer surgery.

The treatment of choice for remnant gastric cancer is resection by open conventional method, but due to adhesion and deformed anatomic structure, reoperation is one of the most complicated surgeries. We therefore introduce 2 cases of laparoscopy-assisted completion total gastrectomy. One was 67 yrs old male who had radical subtotal gastrectomy with gastrojejunostomy due to stomach cancer 30 years ago. Gastric polyp was found in routine EGD. Biopsy results showed focal adenocarcinoma and laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy was decided and performed. The other case was 65 yrs old male who went through radical subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenostomy 8 years ago due to stomach cancer. Recur was diagnosed by routine EGD, and laparoscopic assisted total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy was done. As can be seen in this study, laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy could be safely applied in remnant gastric cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the technical feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of robot-assisted gastrectomy (RAG) with lymphadenectomy, using the da Vinci system through analyses of our initial series of 100 consecutive patients., Summary Background Data: The application of robotic surgery was proven to be one of the best cutting-edge technologies for successful minimally invasive surgery by providing solutions to the many drawbacks of laparoscopic surgery, yet few reports have studied robotic surgery in gastric cancer., Methods: A review of a prospectively designed database at our institute from July 2005 to October 2007 revealed a series of 100 consecutive RAG patients with a preoperative diagnosis of early gastric cancer. Clinicopathologic characteristics and surgical outcomes were analyzed., Results: All operations were performed successfully without open or laparoscopic conversion. There were 33 total gastrectomies and 67 subtotal gastrectomies with D1+beta or extended lymphadenectomy (D2). The mean total operation time and console time were 231 and 150 minutes, respectively. There were 13 postoperative morbidities and 1 postoperative mortality. The first flatus was noted on postoperative day 2.9, soft diet was started on postoperative day 4.2, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 7.8 days. Although all patients were diagnosed as early gastric cancer preoperatively, the final pathology report revealed that 19 patients exhibited a depth deeper than T2. The mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 36.7 (range, 11-83). None of the specimens showed microscopic tumor involvement in the resection line., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that RAG with lymphadenectomy can be applied safely and effectively for patients with gastric cancer.

Background: Robotic surgery was invented to overcome the demerits of laparoscopic surgery. However, the role of robotic surgery in gastrectomy has rarely been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the use of robot-assisted distal subtotal gastrectomy to facilitate surgical training for gastric cancer., Methods: Twenty gastric cancer patients who underwent robotic gastrectomy from July 2005 to November 2006 were compared with 20 initial patients who underwent laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy from May 2003 to August 2003 and 20 recent patients who underwent laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy during the same period as the 20 robotic gastrectomy procedures by the same surgeon., Result: All 60 patients underwent subtotal gastrectomies with gastroduodenostomy without open or laparoscopic conversion. Operation time for robotic gastrectomy, initial laparoscopic gastrectomy, and recent laparoscopic gastrectomy was 230 min (range 171-312 min), 289.5 min (range 190-450 min), and 134.1 min (range 90-260 min). The number of retrieved lymph nodes was 35.3 +/- 10.5, 31.5 +/- 17.1, and 42.7 +/- 14.9, respectively. Hospital stay was 5.7, 7.7, and 6.2 days, respectively. Postoperative complication occurred in two patients in recent laparoscopic gastrectomy and one patient each in robotic and initial laparoscopic gastrectomy., Conclusion: In this context, it could be assumed that experienced laparoscopic surgeons could perform robotic gastrectomy with a certain level of skill, even in initial series.

Background and Aim: The prevalence of being overweight has risen remarkably in Korea. This study sought to clarify the relationship between being overweight and surgical outcomes in gastric cancer patients., Methods: A total of 410 patients who underwent curative total gastrectomies with D2 dissection from January 2000 to December 2003 were retrospectively studied from a prospectively designed database. The patients were assigned to two groups based upon their body mass index (BMI): non-overweight, BMI < 25 kg/m(2); overweight, BMI >or= 25 kg/m(2). Perioperative surgical outcomes, postoperative morbidity, mortality, recurrence, and prognosis were analyzed., Results: The overweight group had longer operation time and more postoperative complications than the non-overweight group. The two groups were similar in terms of transfusion volumes, postoperative bowel movement, time to initiation of a soft diet, and postoperative hospital stay. Patterns of recurrence and cumulative survival rates were similar for each group. Multivariate analysis showed that being overweight was not a risk factor for recurrence or poor prognosis., Conclusion: Although being overweight was associated with increased operation time and higher risk of complications in gastric cancer patients undergoing curative total gastrectomy, it had no effect on recurrence or long-term survival.

Introduction: Morbidity and mortality rates following gastric cancer surgery are still high. The present study documented complications requiring reoperation after gastrectomy for gastric cancer and described surgical management for each complication., Materials and Methods: Between 1987 and 2004, 8,033 patients underwent gastrectomy at the Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, and the records were reviewed., Results and Discussion: The most frequent complication was intestinal obstruction (88 patients, 54.3%), followed by intraabdominal bleeding (15, 9.3%), wound dehiscence or evisceration (15, 9.3%), incisional hernia (15, 9.3%), anastomotic leakage (seven, 4.2%), acalculous cholecystitis (five, 3.1%), duodenal stump leakage (five, 3.1%), intraabdominal abscess without leakage (five, 3.1%), bowel perforation (five, 3.1%), bile peritonitis due to hepatic duct injury (one, 0.6%), and biliary stricture (one, 0.6%). There were ten cases of hospital mortality (6.2%) from intraabdominal bleeding (four patients), intestinal obstruction (four patients), and anastomotic leakage (two patients). The most common long-term complication requiring reoperation was intestinal obstruction (69, 75.8%) due to adhesive formation rather than technical failure, while short-term complications were surgery-related and associated with high hospital mortality (14.1%)., Conclusion: Proper preoperative preparation and faultless surgical skills are required during initial surgery to reduce complications and the need for reoperation.

Purpose: Although many studies have demonstrated improvements in short-and long-term outcomes of gastric cancer surgery, changes in long-term survival over time are not well-established. This study was conducted to evaluate changes in host, tumor, and treatment factors in patients treated at a single institution over a period of 45-yr., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 9282 patients with gastric cancer from 1955 to 1999, and divided the 45-yr into 4 time frames based on published articles: 1955 to 1962 (n=228), 1963 to 1972 (n=891), 1973 to 1988 (n=2789), and 1989 to 1999 (n=5374)., Results: Remarkable changes were noted in host, tumor, treatment factors, and prognosis. Among host factors, patients of more advanced age were identified in the 4th period and mean age shifted from 49 to 55 yrs. Among tumor factors, early gastric cancers and upper body tumors increased up to 32% and from 7% to 13%, respectively. An increase in the annual number of patients (from 29 to 649), gastrectomies (from 14 to 600), rate of resection (from 50% to 90%), rate of curative resection (up to 92%), and proportion of total gastrectomy (from 8% to 29%) was noted. Operative mortality was reduced from 6.1% to 0.7%. The overall 5-yr survival rate significantly increased from 22% to 65%., Conclusion: Treatment results of gastric cancer surgery have improved remarkably over the 45-year period. Increase of early stage gastric cancer with early diagnosis considerably influenced the improved survival of patients with gastric cancer.

Background: Endoscopic surgery has not been accepted as a curative treatment for intramucosal undifferentiated early gastric cancer (EGC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive factors of lymph node metastasis and explore the possibility of using endoscopic surgery for undifferentiated EGC., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 646 patients with undifferentiated EGC who had undergone gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy from January 2000 to March 2005. We used univariate and multivariate analysis to identify clinicopathological features that were predictive factors for lymph node metastasis., Results: The incidence of lymph node metastasis was 4.2% in intramucosal and 15.9% in submucosal undifferentiated EGC. Multivariate analysis revealed that submucosal invasion, larger tumor size (greater than 2 cm), and presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI), were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis in patients with undifferentiated EGC. Tumor size and LVI were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in cases of intramucosal EGC. Lymph node metastasis was found in only one patient (0.5%) who had neither of the two risk factors for intramucosal EGC., Conclusion: Complete endoscopic resection may be acceptable as a curative treatment for intramucosal undifferentiated EGC when the tumor size is less than or equal to 2 cm, and when LVI is absent in the postoperative histological examination. Radical gastrectomy should be recommended if LVI or unexpected submucosal invasion is present.

Background: The grouping of patients who have a poor prognosis is important in determining a treatment strategy. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic features and prognosis in patients with perinodal extension, with a focus on the difference of survival between homogenous groups., Methods: This study included a total of 1,092 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma from 1997 to 2004 at the Department of Surgery, Yongdong Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine., Results: One hundred sixty-one patients had perinodal extension. The incidence of perinodal extension was positively correlated for T and N stages. Perinodal extension was identified as an independent prognostic factor and had more influence on survival than T and N stages. Patients who had nodal metastasis without serosal exposure and who had serosal exposure without nodal metastasis were selected as homogenous groups, and there was no difference of survival between these groups. However, when the nodal metastasis group was subdivided according to the perinodal extension, perinodal extension subgroup had significant poorer prognosis than no perinodal extension subgroup., Conclusions: The perinodal extension was the most important independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer, and should be included in the TNM gastric cancer staging system., ((c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background: To investigate the interactions between splenectomy and perioperative transfusion in gastric cancer patients., Methods: Medical records of 449 gastric cancer patients who had undergone total gastrectomies for curative intent between 1991 and 1995 were reviewed. The influence of splenectomy on tumor recurrence and survival both in the transfused and nontransfused patients were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis., Results: The recurrence rate in the splenectomy group was 48.1% as compared with 22.6% in the spleen-preserved group among transfused patients (P=.001); it was 40.7% compared with 26.5% among nontransfused patients (P=.086). There was no significant difference in the mean survival between the splenectomy group and the spleen-preserved group in a subgroup analysis by stage. Multivariate analysis identified splenectomy as an independent risk factor for recurrence but not as a predictor for survival among transfused patients., Conclusions: Splenectomy does not appear to abrogate the adverse effect of perioperative transfusion on prognosis in gastric cancer patients. Moreover, it may increase postoperative recurrence in transfused patients.

Aim: To investigate the influence of a positive proximal margin in total gastrectomy patients with gastric adenocarcinoma of the cardia., Methods: Medical records of 191 patients with total gastrectomies for adenocarcinoma of the cardia between 1995 and 2000 were reviewed. The clinicopathologic features associated with a positive margin were determined, and the predictors for survival were analyzed., Results: The incidence of positive proximal margin was 8.4% (16/191). The positive margins were associated with advanced diseases. The tumor size and the depth of tumor invasion were independent risk factors for a positive margin. The mean survival in the positive margin group was 33.9 mo as compared with 62.4 mo in the negative group (P < 0.001). However, the difference in survival lost significance in subgroup analysis according to stage. Multivariate analysis identified that a positive margin was not an independent prognostic factor for survival., Conclusion: A positive margin is more of an indication of advanced disease in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma of the cardia rather than an independent prognostic factor for survival.

Laparoscopic gastric surgeries are routinely performed with use of a nasogastric tube to decompress the upper gastrointestinal tract. A distended upper gastrointestinal tract can complicate successful laparoscopic gastric surgery as the distention compromises not only the visual field but also the laparoscopic manipulation of the stomach. Since nasogastric intubation is not without risks, we have attempted laparoscopic-assisted gastric cancer surgeries without nasogastric tubes. In this article we describe a simple method of aspirating gastric contents using a 9 cm long 19-gauge needle inserted percutaneously during laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy. First, a 9 cm long 19-gauge disposable needle was introduced through the abdominal wall. This needle was then introduced to the stomach through the anterior wall and the stomach gases and fluids were aspirated by connecting the needle to suction. Thus, a collapsed upper gastrointestinal tract was easily obtained. We performed this procedure instead of nasogastric decompression on twenty-two patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal subtotal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection. The results were good with only one patient experiencing wound infection (4.5%) and one patient with postoperative acalculus cholecystitis (4.5%). There were no patients with either intraabdominal infection or anastomotic leakage and none of the patients needed postoperative nasogastric decompression, except the patient who experienced acaculus cholecystitis. Percutaneous needle aspiration is a very simple and efficient technique with little risk of postoperative complications. It can be used as an alternative to nasogastric tube decompression of the gastrointestinal tract for laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy.

Aim: To explore the feasibility of performing gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer patients with liver cirrhosis., Methods: A total of 7,178 patients were admitted with a diagnosis of liver cirrhosis from January 1993 to December 2003. We reviewed the records of 142 patients who were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and gastric adenocarcinoma during the same period. Gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for carcinoma of the stomach was performed in 94 patients with histologically proven hepatic cirrhosis., Results: All but 12 patients were classified as Child's class A. Only 35 patients (37.2%) were diagnosed with cirrhosis before operation. Seventy-three patients underwent a subtotal gastrectomy (77.7%) and 21 patients (22.3%) underwent a total gastrectomy, each with D2 or more lymph node dissection. Two patients (3.8%) who had prophylactic intra-operative drain placement, died of postoperative complications from hepatorenal failure with intractable ascites. Thirty-seven patients (39.4%) experienced postoperative complications. The extent of gastric resection did not influence the morbidity whereas serum aspartate aminotransferase level (P = 0.011) and transfusion did (P = 0.008). The most common postoperative complication was ascites (13.9%) followed by wound infection (10.6%)., Conclusion: We concluded that the presence of compensated cirrhosis, i.e. Child class A, is not a contraindication against gastrectomy with D2 or more lymph node dissection, when curative resection for gastric cancer is possible. Hepatic reserve and meticulous hemostasis are the likely determinants of operative prognosis.

Background and Objectives: A negative correlation between anemia and outcome has been demonstrated in various cancers treated with radiotherapy. However, it is rarely studied whether this correlation may exist in surgical setting. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between pretreatment anemia and survival in surgically treated patients with gastric cancer., Methods: A total of 1,688 patients who had undergone curative resection for gastric cancer between 1991 and 1995 were reviewed. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level <12.0 g/dl. The influence of anemia on patient overall survival was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis., Results: Pretreatment anemia was present in 39.9% of the patients. The 10-year overall survival rate in anemic patients was 48.2% as compared with 62.6% in nonanemic patients (P < 0.001). In subgroup analysis according to the stage, the significant difference in 10-year overall survival rate between anemic and nonanemic patients was found in stage I and II gastric cancer (76.1% vs. 83.5% in stage I, P = 0.030; 55.1% vs. 67.2% in stage II, P = 0.043). On multivariate analysis, anemia was an independent prognostic predictor in patients with stage I and II disease (P = 0.007; RR, 1.466; 95% CI, 1.109-1.937)., Conclusions: Pretreatment anemia was found to have an independent relationship to the long-term survival of patients with stage I and II gastric cancer., (Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Although numerous operative approaches have been utilized for gastric submucosal tumors, laparoscopic wedge resection has been regarded as the treatment of choice in recent years. As widespread use of diagnostic endoscopy has exposed a number of gastric submucosal tumors, the laparoscopic wedge resections are being performed with increased frequency. Many reports have been published which describe the technique of laparoscopic wedge resection of gastric submucosal tumors, and by far most of them were about the techniques for masses located at the posterior wall or esophagogastric junction. Generally, wedge resection for tumors on the anterior wall is regarded as an easy procedure especially when the mass is extraluminal mass. However, when the tumor is huge and intraluminal, it is very difficult to resect without compromising the gastric lumen as wedge resection of a huge intraluminal mass in situ inevitably includes a wide portion of normal gastric wall. In this article, we describe a successfully performed laparoscopic wedge resection of a huge intraluminal gastric submucosal tumor while preserving the volume of residual stomach without compromising the gastric lumen using the Eversion method through gastrotomy made with laparoscopic ultrasound guidance., ((c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background and Objectives: Although various types of minimally invasive treatment have emerged as the best front-line therapies for early gastric cancer (EGC), there have been no established indications that these attempts are applicable. The purpose of this study was to propose indications for the application of minimally invasive therapy for EGC., Methods: A total of 566 patients with EGC who had undergone gastrectomy with D2 or more extended lymphadenectomy, from July 1993 to December 1997 were retrospectively analyzed. The risk factors that determine lymph node metastasis were investigated by univariate and multivariate analysis., Results: The rate of lymph node metastasis was 11.8% for all EGC, 3.4% for mucosal cancer, and 21.0% for submucosal cancer. Lymph node metastasis was associated with submucosal invasion, larger tumor size, undifferentiated histology, and the presence of lymphatic or blood vessel invasion (LBVI) by univariate and multivariate analyses. When LBVI was absent, there was no lymph node metastasis if the tumor was smaller than 2.5 cm with differentiated histology, and smaller than 1.5 cm with undifferentiated histology, regardless of depth of invasion. Extra-perigastric lymph node metastases were noted in patients with submucosal tumors that have LBVI while none of mucosal cancer showed extra-perigastric lymph node metastases., Conclusions: Minimally invasive treatment can be possibly applied for patients with EGC using these four independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in EGC. For mucosal cancers, EMR is indicated for EGCs without lymph node involvement based on tumor size and histology. When we found LBVI by pathologic examination after EMR, gastrectomy with D1 lymph node dissection is mandatory. For submucosal cancers, patients with small tumors could be treated with laparoscopic wedge resection without lymph node dissection. However, patients with larger sized tumors or tumors with LBVI should be treated with extended (D2) lymph node dissection., (Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Introduction: Morbidity and mortality rates following gastric cancer surgery are still high. The present study documented complications requiring reoperation after gastrectomy for gastric cancer and described surgical management for each complication.Materials and Methods: Between 1987 and 2004, 8,033 patients underwent gastrectomy at the Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, and the records were reviewed.Results and Discussion: The most frequent complication was intestinal obstruction (88 patients, 54.3%), followed by intraabdominal bleeding (15, 9.3%), wound dehiscence or evisceration (15, 9.3%), incisional hernia (15, 9.3%), anastomotic leakage (seven, 4.2%), acalculous cholecystitis (five, 3.1%), duodenal stump leakage (five, 3.1%), intraabdominal abscess without leakage (five, 3.1%), bowel perforation (five, 3.1%), bile peritonitis due to hepatic duct injury (one, 0.6%), and biliary stricture (one, 0.6%). There were ten cases of hospital mortality (6.2%) from intraabdominal bleeding (four patients), intestinal obstruction (four patients), and anastomotic leakage (two patients). The most common long-term complication requiring reoperation was intestinal obstruction (69, 75.8%) due to adhesive formation rather than technical failure, while short-term complications were surgery-related and associated with high hospital mortality (14.1%).Conclusion: Proper preoperative preparation and faultless surgical skills are required during initial surgery to reduce complications and the need for reoperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]