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Published on: February 2, 2022
Unexpected Para-aortic Lymph Node Metastasis in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: a Contraindication to Resection?
Ji Su Kim1, Ho Kyoung Hwang1,2, Woo Jung Lee1,2
1Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, #50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Korea.
Background:
Margin-negative resection is the only cure for pancreatic cancer. However, para-aortic lymph node metastasis is considered a contraindication to curative resection in pancreatic cancer. To determine if there are long-term survival differences according to the presence or absence of para-aortic lymph node metastasis in patients undergoing pancreatectomy, we evaluated oncologic outcomes in resected pancreatic cancer with unexpected para-aortic lymph node metastasis confirmed on intraoperative frozen section biopsy.
Methods:
We retrospectively investigated 362 patients with pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent pancreatectomy between 1996 and 2016.
Results:
Patients with a metastatic para-aortic lymph node had the poorest median disease-specific survival [hazard ratio 14, 95% confidence interval 10-19]. However, after chemotherapy, patients with a metastatic para-aortic lymph node had a much higher disease-specific survival rate (para-aortic lymph node+/postoperative chemotherapy- versus para-aortic lymph node+/postoperative chemotherapy+, P = 0.0003, adjusted P = 0.0015). Patients with a metastatic para-aortic lymph node who underwent postoperative chemotherapy had a similar survival benefit to patients with metastatic regional lymph node without para-aortic lymph node metastasis, regardless of postoperative chemotherapy (para-aortic lymph node+/postoperative chemotherapy+ versus regional lymph node+/postoperative chemotherapy-, P = 0.3047, adjusted P > 0.9999; para-aortic lymph node+/postoperative chemotherapy+ versus regional lymph node+/postoperative chemotherapy+, P = 0.0905, adjusted P = 0.4525).
Conclusions:
Unexpected para-aortic lymph node metastasis on frozen section biopsy may no longer be a contraindication to curative resection in "resectable" pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, as long as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy can be administered.
