Risk factors for lymph node metastasis in gastric neuroendocrine tumor: a retrospective study

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) plays a vital role in the determination of clinical outcomes in patients with gastric neuroendocrine tumor (G-NET). Preoperative identification of LNM is helpful for intraoperative lymphadenectomy. This study aims to investigate risk factors for LNM in patients with G-NET.

We performed a retrospective study involving 37 patients in non-LNM group and 82 patients in LNM group. Data of demographics, preoperative lab results, clinical-pathological results, surgical management, and postoperative situation were compared between groups. Significant parameters were subsequently entered into logistic regression for further analysis.

Patients in LNM group exhibited older age (p = 0.011), lower preoperative albumin (ALB) (p = 0.003), higher carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (p = 0.020), higher International normalized ratio (p = 0.034), longer thrombin time (p = 0.018), different tumor location (p = 0.005), higher chromogranin A positive rate (p = 0.045), and higher Ki-67 expression level (p = 0.002). Logistic regression revealed ALB (p = 0.043), CEA (p = 0.032), tumor location (p = 0.013) and Ki-67 (p = 0.041) were independent risk factors for LNM in G-NET patients.

ALB, CEA, tumor location, and Ki-67 expression level correlate with the risk of LNM in patients with G-NET.