IMPORTANCEThe long-term survival of patients with laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (LSTG) for advanced upper-third gastric cancer (AUTGC) and the association of splenic hilar lymph node (LN-10) metastasis with survival remain controversial.
OBJECTIVETo evaluate the long-term outcomes of LSTG and the value index of LN-10 metastasis for patients with AUTGC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Chinese Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery Study 4 (CLASS-04) was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm trial that involved 19 centers in China. A total of 251 eligible patients with clinical stage T2, T3, or T4a upper-third gastric cancer without distant metastases were enrolled from September 1, 2016, to October 31, 2017. The final follow-up was on December 31, 2020. INTERVENTIONS All patients were enrolled to undergo LSTG.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe main outcomes were the 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Multivariate analyses were used to explore the association of LN-10 metastasis with survival.
RESULTSAmong the 251 patients, 246 (98.0%; mean [SD] age, 60.1 [9.4] years; 197 [80.1%] male)underwent LSTG and completed the study. The 3-year OS was 79.1% (95% CI, 74.0%-84.2%), and the 3-year DFS was 73.1% (95% CI, 67.4%-78.8%). In addition, the 3-year therapeutic value index of LN-10 dissection was 4.5, exceeding the indexes for the partial D2 LN group (including LNs 5, 6, 11d, and 12a). Nineteen patients (7.7%) with LN-10 metastasis had significantly worse survival than the nonmetastasis group, and multivariate analysis revealed that splenic LN-10 metastasis was an independent risk factor (OS: hazard ratio [HR], 2.38; 95% CI, 1.08-5.26; P = .03; DFS: HR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.12-4.63; P = .02). Moreover, patients with LN-10 metastasis were more likely to have recurrence (42.1% vs 20.7%, P = .03), especially when multiple site metastasis was present (21.1% vs 4.4%, P = .01). However, patients with LN-10 metastasis who received adjuvant chemotherapy had significantly better OS and DFS than those without adjuvant chemotherapy and achieved the same oncologic effect as those without LN-10 metastasis. (continued) Key Points Question What are the 3-year outcomes after laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with spleenpreserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy for patients with locally advanced proximal gastric cancer? Findings In this nonrandomized clinical trial of 251 patients with clinically staged, locally advanced upper-third gastric cancer, the 3-year overall survival was 79.1%. The 3-year therapeutic value index of lymph node 10 dissection was 4.5, exceeding the index for the partial D2 lymph node group. Meaning The findings of this study suggest the utility of laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with spleenpreserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy for clinically staged, locally advanced upper-third gastric cancer.