[The clinicopathological analysis of lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer]

One hundred-twenty-one cases of curative resection for gastric cancer with lymph node metastasis were analyzed to determine the prognostic value of the nodal stage (n), number of metastatic lymph nodes, maximum diameter of metastatic lymph nodes, micrometastasis of lymph nodes, histological type of lymph node metastasis, extranodular invasion and infiltration into lymphatic vessels around metastatic lymph nodes. In patients with a higher nodal stage the survival rate was lower and the nodal stage was a good prognostic indicator. Inpatients who had 7 or more metastatic lymph nodes or in whom the maximum diameter of the metastatic lymph nodes was over 15 mm or who had not only micrometastasis of lymph nodes, the survival rate was lower. These results suggest that quantitative analysis of metastatic lymph nodes is necessary. In patients who had nudifferentiated type metastatic lesions of lymph nodes, the survival rate was lower than in those with the differentiated type and the difference was larger than for the primary lesion. In patients who had extranodular invasion or infiltration into lymphatic vessels around metastatic lymph nodes, the survival rate was decreased. These results suggest that histopathological analysis of metastatic lymph nodes is necessary.