Lymphadenectomy and Survival After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation for Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: Is More Better?

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of number of lymph nodes examined on survival in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation.

The National Cancer Database was queried for patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery for esophageal adenocarcinoma. Propensity scores were created predicting the odds of undergoing resection of ≥ 25 nodes. Patients were matched on propensity score. Overall survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Sensitivity analyses were performed using various nodal cutoffs.

In total, 3953 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation were identified. The median number of resected nodes was 14 nodes (IQR, 8-20 nodes). Resection of ≥ 15 (vs. < 15 nodes: 32 vs. 26 months; p < 0.001), ≥ 20 (vs. < 20 nodes: 36 vs. 28 months; p = 0.001), and ≥ 25 (vs. < 25 nodes: 37 vs. 29 months; p = 0.015) nodes was associated with higher median survival, but resection of ≥ 30 nodes was not (vs. < 30 nodes: 41 vs. 33 months; p = 0.367). Resection of ≥ 25 lymph nodes remained predictive for improved survival on subset analysis in patients with negative nodes and who underwent treatment at high-volume centers.

After neoadjuvant chemoradiation, resection of 25 or more lymph nodes was associated with longer median survival. Prospective trials are warranted to determine the optimal nodal yield after neoadjuvant chemoradiation.