Impact of endoscopic resection on the choice of surgical procedure in patients with additional laparoscopic gastrectomy

Relative dose intensity and 1-year psoas muscle index reduction rate as prognostic factors in gastric cancer patients with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Higher relative dose intensity (RDI) of chemotherapy improves the clinical outcomes of various cancers. The psoas muscle index (PMI) is related to sarcopenia, and patients with low PMI have worse prognoses. However, few studies have demonstrated its clinical relevance in gastric cancer.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 188 stage II/III gastric cancer patients who had undergone curative gastrectomy between January 2013 and March 2017, 124 of whom had received postoperative S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Per receiver operating characteristic analysis, patients were divided into high and low RDI groups, between which relapse-free survival differed marginally significantly and disease-specific survival differed significantly. In patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, multivariate analysis found that high RDI and low PMI reduction rate 1 year after surgery were significantly associated with better relapse-free survival. Low RDI can be predicted by a combination of low preoperative PMI and non-distal gastrectomy, whereas high PMI reduction rate at 1 year can be affected by non-distal gastrectomy.

CONCLUSION

High RDI with preserved psoas muscle up to 1 year after gastrectomy may be associated with prognoses in gastric cancer requiring postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Since RDI and PMI reduction rate can be predicted preoperatively, respectively, interventional consideration is possible for optimal adjuvant therapy in gastric cancer.

Risk Factors and Timing of Additional Surgery after Noncurative ESD for Early Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with early gastric cancer undergoing noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) have a risk of tumor recurrence and metastasis, and some patients need additional surgery. The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors of cancer residue and lymph node (LN) metastasis after noncurative ESD for early gastric cancer and to compare the short outcome of early and delayed additional surgery.

METHODS

The clinicopathological characteristics of 30 early gastric cancer patients who received noncurative ESD and additional surgery were studied retrospectively. Multivariable regression was utilized to examine the independent risk factors for residual cancer and LN metastasis. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the multivariable model's predictive performance. Furthermore, the perioperative safety and radical tumor performance of early surgery (≤30 days, n = 11), delayed surgery (>30 days, n = 11) after ESD, and upfront surgery (n = 59) were compared.

RESULTS

Multivariable regression showed that diffuse type of Lauren classification, submucosal invasion, and positive human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) were risk factors for residual cancer. Undifferentiated carcinoma, vascular invasion, and positive vertical margin were risk factors for LN metastasis. The area under the curve (AUC) of the multifactor model predicting cancer residue and LN metastasis was 0.761 and 0.792, respectively. The early surgery group experienced higher intraoperative blood loss and a longer operation time than the delayed surgery and upfront surgery groups. There was no significant difference in the number of LN dissections, LN metastasis rate, and postoperative complications among the three groups.

CONCLUSION

Diffuse type of Lauren classification, submucosal invasion, and positive HER-2 are risk factors for residual cancer, while undifferentiated carcinoma, vascular invasion, and positive vertical margin are risk factors for LN metastasis. Delayed additional surgery after ESD (>30 days) has higher intraoperative safety, without affecting the radical resection in early gastric cancer patients.

Impact of the first era of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on gastric cancer patients: a single-institutional analysis in Japan

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the disadvantages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in patients with gastric cancer. This study aimed to examine the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with gastric cancer in the first era in Japan.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 725 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who visited our hospital between April 2019 and March 2021. The number of patients and their characteristics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were compared.

RESULTS

The number of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased by 26.2% (from 417 to 308; p = 0.013) compared to that before the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant decrease in cStage I cancer and an increase in cStage III cancer (p = 0.004). Patients were often symptomatic (p = 0.029), especially those with stenosis-related symptoms (p < 0.001) and longer symptom duration (p < 0.001). The number of endoscopic resections was decreased by 34.8% (p = 0.005). The number of total gastrectomy was higher than that of partial gastrectomy (p = 0.021). The median time to treatment was significantly shorter (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In Japan, delays diagnosing patients with gastric cancer, probably due to refraining from consultation, may have resulted in an increase in the diagnosis of advanced-stage cancer. Moreover, an increasing proportion of patients required more invasive gastrectomy. Therefore, it may be necessary to educate patients not to refrain from consultation, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it can have a negative impact on treatment, policy decision, and prognosis of gastric cancer.

Impact of preceding noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection on patients with early gastric cancer who undergo subsequent surgery: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The influence of preceding noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) on the efficacy of subsequent surgery is still controversial among early gastric cancer (EGC), especially for laparoscopic gastrectomy. The present meta-analysis was conducted to compare clinical outcomes between patients with EGC who underwent noncurative ESD before surgery (ESD group) and those who underwent direct surgery (non-ESD group).

METHODS

Related databases were searched, and articles comparing differences between ESD and non-ESD groups were included for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Ten retrospective studies with 3465 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the non-ESD group, the ESD group was older and had more males, smaller tumors, more differentiated tumors and a higher proportion of pT1b, a shorter operation time, fewer dissected lymph nodes, a lower rate of positive lymph nodes and a lower rate of D2 dissection. There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complication rate, postoperative hospital stay or long-term prognosis, etc.

CONCLUSION

Preceding noncurative ESD has no negative impact on the short- and long-term results of additional gastrectomy (open surgery or laparoscopic surgery).

Effect of endoscopic resection on short-term surgical outcomes of subsequent laparoscopic gastrectomy: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic resection (ER) might affect subsequent laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) because of the electrical coagulation, but the effect remains controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to analyze the effect of ER on the short-term surgical outcomes of subsequent LG.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to find eligible studies published from inception to March 21, 2021. Short-term surgical outcomes were compared between the ER-LG group and the LG-only group. The registration ID of this current meta-analysis on PROSPERO is CRD42021238031.

RESULTS

Nine studies involving 3611 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The LG-only group had a higher T stage (T1-T2: OR=2.42, 95% CI=1.09 to 5.34, P=0.03; T3-T4: OR=0.41, 95% CI=0.19 to 0.91, P=0.03) than the ER-LG group. The ER-LG group showed a shorter operation time than the LG-only group (MD=-5.98, 95% CI=-10.99 to -0.97, P=0.02). However, no difference was found in operation time after subgroup analysis of propensity score matching studies. No significant difference was found in intraoperative blood loss, time to first oral feeding, or postoperative hospital stay between the ER-LG group and the LG-only group. And no significance was found in overall complications (OR=1.16, 95% CI=0.89 to 1.50, P=0.27), complications of grade ≥ II (OR=1.11, 95% CI=0.71 to 1.73, P=0.64), complications of grade ≥ III b (OR=1.47, 95% CI=0.49 to 4.43, P=0.49) between the ER-LG group and the LG-only group.

CONCLUSIONS

ER did not affect subsequent LG in terms of short-term outcomes, and the ER-LG group might have a shorter operation time than the LG-only group.