The Association between the Number of Retrieved Lymph Nodes and Survival in Gastric Cancer Surgery: A Dutch...

This study aimed to evaluate whether the retrieval of 15 or more lymph nodes (LN) during gastrectomy for cancer is associated with better survival and more accurate pathological staging.

Patients that underwent gastrectomy between 2011 and 2016 were reviewed from the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit. Patients with <15 and ≥15 LN retrieved were compared after propensity-score matching based on patient and tumor characteristics. The primary endpoint was 3-year overall survival.

A total of 2,047 patients were included in the study. After propensity score matching, 522 patients with ≥15 LNs were matched to 522 patients with <15 LNs. There was no statistically significant difference in overall survival between both groups with 3-year survival rates of 56% versus 59%, respectively. Patients with ≥15 LNs had a more advanced pN-category. While median survival was higher for patients with ≥15 LNs versus <15 LNs in the subgroups pN2, pN3a, and pN3b, no statistically significant differences were found. Similar results were found in the propensity score matched cohort using 23 LNs as cut-off.

≥15 LNs retrieved during gastrectomy for cancer was associated with higher pN-stage, likely as a result of stage migration. Three-year overall survival was comparable for patients with ≥15 LNs and patients with <15 LNs retrieved.