Endoscopy 2009; 41(5): 427-432
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1214495
Original article

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Mixed-histologic-type submucosal invasive gastric cancer as a risk factor for lymph node metastasis: feasibility of endoscopic submucosal dissection

N.  Hanaoka1 , S.  Tanabe1 , T.  Mikami2 , I.  Okayasu2 , K.  Saigenji1
  • 1Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara-City, Kanagawa, Japan
  • 2Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara-City, Kanagawa, Japan
Further Information

Publication History

submitted 21 August 2008

accepted after revision 27 January 2009

Publication Date:
05 May 2009 (online)

Background and study aims: The clinicopathologic features of gastric cancers containing a mixture of differentiated-type and undifferentiated-type components remain uninvestigated. We evaluated the risk of lymph node metastasis and the feasibility of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the treatment of mixed-histologic-type gastric cancers.

Patient and methods: We histologically classified 376 cases of gastric cancer with submucosal invasion into four types (differentiated type, differentiated-type-predominant mixed type, undifferentiated-type-predominant mixed type, and undifferentiated type) and studied the clinicopathologic relations of each type to lymph node metastasis. Lymphatic invasion was evaluated by D2 – 40 immunostaining.

Results: The overall prevalence of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer with submucosal invasion was 16.5 % (62 / 376). The prevalence of lymph node metastasis was 36.5 % (23 / 63) in undifferentiated-type-predominant mixed type, which was significantly higher than those in the other three types (P < 0.001 vs. differentiated type, P = 0.013 vs. differentiated-type-predominant mixed type, and P = 0.003 vs. undifferentiated type). Lymphatic invasion, a depth of invasion of 500 µm or more from the lower margin of the muscularis mucosae (SM2), tumor size above 30 mm, and undifferentiated-type-predominant mixed histologic type were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis. Submucosal cancers without these four risk factors were free of lymph node metastasis (0 / 41; 95 % confidence interval 0 % – 8.6 %).

Conclusions: Undifferentiated-type-predominant mixed-type gastric cancer with submucosal invasion carries a high risk of lymph node metastasis. ESD can be indicated for gastric cancer with submucosal invasion provided that the following conditions indicating a low risk of metastasis are met: a depth of invasion of no more than 500 µm or more from the lower margin of the muscularis mucosae (SM1), no lymphatic invasion, a tumor size of no more than 30 mm, and a proportion of undifferentiated components below 50 %.

References

  • 1 Japanese Gastric Cancer Association . Japanese classification of gastric carcinoma: 2nd English edition.  Gastric Cancer. 1998;  1 10-24
  • 2 Gotoda T, Yanagisawa A, Sasako M. et al . Incidence of lymph node metastasis from early gastric cancer: estimation with a large number of cases at two large centers.  Gastric Cancer. 2000;  3 219-225
  • 3 Yamao T, Shirao K, Ono H. et al . Risk factors for lymph node metastasis from intramucosal gastric carcinoma.  Cancer. 1996;  77 602-606
  • 4 Gotoda T, Sasako M, Ono H. et al . Evaluation of the necessity for gastrectomy with lymph node dissection for patients with submucosal invasive gastric cancer.  Br J Surg. 2001;  88 444-449
  • 5 Kurihara N, Kubota T, Otani Y. et al . Lymph node metastasis of early gastric cancer with submucosal invasion.  Br J Surg. 1998;  85 835-839
  • 6 Korenaga D, Haraguchi M, Tsujitani S. et al . Clinicopathological features of mucosal carcinoma of the stomach with lymph node metastasis in eleven patients.  Br J Surg. 1986;  73 431-433
  • 7 Ono H, Kondo H, Gotota T. et al . Endoscopic mucosal resection for treatment of early gastric cancer.  Gut. 2001;  48 225-229
  • 8 Tanabe S, Koizumi W, Mitomi H. et al . Clinical outcome of endoscopic aspiration mucosectomy for early gastric cancer.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2002;  56 708-713
  • 9 Maehara Y, Orita H, Okuyama T. et al . Predictors of lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer.  Br J Surg. 1992;  79 245-247
  • 10 Sano T, Kobori O, Muto T. Lymph node metastasis from early gastric cancer: endoscopic resection of tumour.  Br J Surg. 1992;  79 241-244
  • 11 Ohkuwa M, Hosokawa K, Boku N. et al . New endoscopic treatment for intramucosal gastric tumors using an insulated-tip diathermic knife.  Endoscopy. 2001;  33 221-226
  • 12 Karita M, Tada M, Okita K. The successive strip biopsy partial resection technique for large early gastric and colon cancers.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1992;  38 174-178
  • 13 Inoue H, Takeshita K, Hori H. et al . Endoscopic mucosal resection with cap-fitted panendoscope for esophagus, stomach, and colon mucosal lesions.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1993;  39 58-62
  • 14 Torii A, Sasaki M, Kajiyama T. et al . Endoscopic aspiration mucosectomy as curative endoscopic surgery: analysis of 24 cases of early gastric cancer.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1995;  42 475-479
  • 15 Hanazaki K, Wakabayashi M, Sodeyama H. et al . Clinicopathologic features of submucosal carcinoma of the stomach.  J Clin Gastroenterol. 1997;  24 150-155
  • 16 Bando E, Yonemura Y, Taniguchi K. et al . Outcome of ratio of lymph node metastasis in gastric carcinoma.  Ann Surg Oncol. 2002;  9 775-784
  • 17 Bimer P, Obermair A, Achindl M. et al . Selective immunohistochemical staging of blood and lymphatic vessels reveals independent prognostic influence of blood and lymphatic invasion in early-stage cervical cancer.  Clin Cancer Res. 2001;  7 93-97
  • 18 Clemente C G, Boracchi P, Andreola S. et al . Peritumoral lymphatic invasion in patients with node negative mammary duct carcinoma.  Cancer. 1992;  69 1396-1403
  • 19 Sako A, Kitayama J, Ishikawa M. et al . Impact of immunohistochemically identified lymphatic invasion on nodal metastasis in early gastric cancer.  Gastric Cancer. 2006;  9 295-302
  • 20 Schoppmann S F, Birner P, Studer P. et al . Lymphatic microvessel density and lymphovascular invasion assessed by antipodoplanin immunostaining in human breast cancer.  Anticancer Res. 2001;  21 2351-2356
  • 21 Kahn H J, Bailey D, Marks A. A new monoclonal antibody, D2-40, for detection of lymphatic invasion in primary tumors.  Lab Invest. 2002;  82 1255-1257
  • 22 Arigami T, Natsugome S, Uenosono Y. et al . Lymphatic invasion using D2-40 monoclonal antibody and its relationship to lymph node micrometastasis in pN0 gastric cancer.  Br J Cancer. 2005;  93 688-693
  • 23 Yonemura Y, Endou Y, Tabachi K. et al . Evaluation of lymphatic invasion in primary gastric cancer by a new monoclonal antibody, D2-40.  Hum Pathol. 2006;  37 1193-1199
  • 24 Luinetti O, Fiocca R, Villani L. et al . Genetic pattern, histological structure, and cellular phenotype in early and advanced gastric cancers: evidence for structure-related genetic subsets and for loss of glandular structure during progression of some tumors.  Hum Pathol. 1998;  29 702-709
  • 25 Ishiguro S, Kasugai T, Terada N. Change of histological type of gastric carcinoma: from differentiated carcinoma to undifferentiated carcinoma [in Japanese with English abstract].  Stomach and Intestine. 1996;  31 1437-1443
  • 26 Inoshita N, Yanagisawa A, Arai T. et al . Pathological characteristics of gastric carcinomas in the very old.  Jpn J Cancer Res. 1998;  89 1087-1092
  • 27 Peng D F, Sugihara H, Mukaisho K. et al . Genetic lineage of poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma with a tubular component analysed by comparative genomic hybridization.  J Pathol. 2004;  203 884-895
  • 28 Honda T, Tamura G, Endoh Y. et al . Expression of tumor suppressor and tumor-related proteins in differentiated carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma with tubular component and pure undifferentiated carcinoma of the stomach.  Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2005;  35 580-586
  • 29 Egashira Y, Shimoda T, Ikegami M. Mucin histochemical analysis of minute gastric differentiated adenocarcinoma.  Pathol Int. 1999;  49 55-61
  • 30 Saito A, Shimoda T, Nakanishi Y. et al . Histologic heterogeneity and mucin phenotypic expression in early gastric cancer.  Pathol Int. 2001;  51 165-171
  • 31 Tajima Y, Shimoda T, Nakanishi Y. et al . Gastric and intestinal phenotypic marker expression in gastric carcinomas and its prognostic significance: immunohistochemical analysis of 136 lesions.  Oncology. 2001;  61 212-220
  • 32 Kabashima A, Yao T, Maehara Y. et al . Relationship between biological behavior and phenotypic expression in undifferentiated-type gastric carcinomas.  Gastric Cancer. 2005;  8 220-227
  • 33 Kushima R, Hattori T. Histogenesis and characteristics of gastric-type adenocarcinomas in the stomach.  J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1993;  120 103-111
  • 34 Yoshikawa A, Inada K, Yamachika T. et al . Phenotypic shift in human differentiated gastric cancers from gastric to intestinal epithelial cell type during disease progression.  Gastric Cancer. 1998;  1 134-141
  • 35 Hizawa K, Iwai K, Esaki M. et al . Is endoscopic ultrasonography indispensable in assessing the appropriateness of endoscopic resection for gastric cancer?.  Endoscopy. 2002;  34 973-978
  • 36 Park Y D, Chung Y J, Chung H Y. et al . Factors related to lymph node metastasis and the feasibility of endoscopic mucosal resection for treating poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach.  Endoscopy. 2008;  40 7-10

N. HanaokaMD 

Department of Gastroenterology
Kitasato University School of Medicine

2-1-1 Asamizodai
Sagamihara-City
Kanagawa 228-8520
Japan

Fax: +81-42-7484288

Email: noboley1121@aol.com

    >