The relationship between the resection extent and number of lymph node dissection and the effect of metastatic lymph node number on the prognosis of proximal gastric cancer

Objective To study the relation between the surgical extent and number of lymph node dissection and the effect of metastatic lymph node number on the prognosis of proximal gastric cancer. Method Thirty-one patients with proximal gastric cancer underwent D_2 or D_3 operation, and lymph node were harvested from specimen. The number of lymph node dissection in proximal gastrectomy was compared with that in total gastrectomy. Results A total of 1971 lymph nodes were obtained from the 31 specimens, the mean was 63 per case. There were 57 lymph nodes per case for patients with proximal gastrectomy and 71 per case with total gastrectomy,64 per case with left half pancreaticosplenectomy and 63 per case with splenectomy. According to the new 5th N stage system, the 5 year survival of N_1,N_2,N_3 were 36%, 11%, and 0 respectively. Conclusion Along with the wide invasion of the carcinoma wide resection with extended lymph node dissection is mandatory, reserved left half of the pancreas has no influence on the number of harvested lymphnode, the new quantitative N staging is superior to the old in predicting the prognosis.