Background: Lymph node metastasis (LNM) has a strong influence on the prognosis of patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). As minimally invasive treatments are considered appropriate for EGC, and lymphadenectomy may be restricted or even eliminated in some cases; it is imperative to identify the main risk factors for LNM to individualize the therapeutic approach. This study aims to evaluate the risk factors for LNM in EGC and to determine the adequacy of the endoscopic resection criteria in a western population.
Methods: EGC patients who underwent gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy were retrospectively analyzed utilizing a prospective database. The clinicopathological variables were assessed to determine which factors were associated to LNM.
Results: Among 474 enrolled patients, 105 had EGC (22.1%). LNM occurred in 13.3% of all EGC (10% T1a; 15.4% T1b). Tumor size, venous, lymphatic, and perineural invasions were confirmed as independent predictors of LNM by multivariate analysis. Expanded criteria were safely adopted only in selected cases, and 13.6% of patients who matched expanded indication had LNM.
Conclusions: Tumor size, venous, lymphatic, and perineural invasions were associated with LNM and should be considered as surrogate markers for surgical treatment of EGC. Expanded criteria for endoscopic resection can be safely adopted only in selected cases.
Keywords: Early gastric cancer; Endoscopic resection; Gastric carcinoma; Mucosal gastric cancer; Submucosal gastric cancer.