Abstract
Background: Despite the decline in the incidence of gastric cancer, the incidence of early gastric cancer has increased. Hence, understanding the clinicopathological and prognostic features of early gastric cancers could help us understand the development of gastric cancer and improve the prognosis of early gastric cancer. Methods: A total of 244 patients diagnosed with early gastric cancer after surgery at Xiangya Hospital Central South University were retrospectively analyzed. Results: General data showed that in patients with a mean age of 54.30±10.68 years (M:F = 1.6:1), the median tumor size was 2.203±1.245 cm. A total of 15.6% of patients had lymph node metastasis. By univariate analysis, the longest diameter of the tumor, T stage, total number of dissected lymph nodes, number of metastatic lymph nodes, metastatic-to-total dissected lymph node (LN) ratio, vascular invasion, NLRc, and MLRc were associated with disease-free survival; tumor size, invasive depths, vascular invasion, NLRc, MLRc, NWRc and LWRc were associated with lymph node metastasis. Additionally, the longest diameter of tumor and total number of dissected lymph nodes were independent factors for early gastric cancer patients; tumor size, invasive depths, vascular invasion and NLRc were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in EGC. Conclusion: The longest diameter of the tumor and total number of dissected LNs were independent prognostic factors for EGC patients. Additionally, the longest diameter of the tumor, tumor invasive depths, vascular invasion and NLRc were the independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in EGC patients.
An investigation of the feasibility of the limited surgery for early gastric cancer according to lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer by subclassifying the lymph nodes at the lesser curvature into those along the left and right gastric artery.
