Reduced lymph node harvest after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer

This retrospective study investigated the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the number of lymph nodes harvested in patients with T(3)/T(4) gastric cancer. Lymph node counts in 58 patients who received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy were compared with those in 168 patients who received surgery alone. Significantly more patients (n = 14, 24.1%) treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy had < 15 lymph nodes harvested compared with patients (n = 13, 7.7%) treated with surgery alone. A significant correlation between the total number of harvested lymph nodes and the number of metastatic lymph nodes (mLNs) existed in both groups. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was the only factor associated with the retrieval of < 15 lymph nodes. The number of mLNs was an independent predictive factor for overall survival. Although neoadjuvant chemotherapy decreased the number of lymph nodes harvested, the number of mLNs may still be an acceptable prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer, following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.