Objective To investigate the significance and surgical skill for lymphadenectomy around common hepatic artery in gastric cancer. Methods Two hundred and fifty-seven cases with undergoing lymphadenectomy around common hepatic artery in gastric cancer between January 2001 and December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Experiences and understanding of dealing with this procedure in curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer were concluded. Results The number of dissected No.8 lymph node was 2.2±1.7, and the positive rate of No.8 lymph node was 30.35%. There were no lymphadenectomy related complications, such as anastomotic leakage, lymphatic fistula and postoperative hemorrhage in this series. Dissection around common hepatic artery lymph nodes along artery intrathecal space, division and ligation of left gastric vein at its root, and sufficient exposure of anatomic structures were important to dissection lymph nodes around the common hepatic artery. The exposure of anatomic structures included liberation of common hepatic artery by traction with the band, and the exposure of posterior side of pancreas by Kocher incision.Conclusion Being familiar with the anatomy around common hepatic artery, careful dissection, and attention to the surgical skill of lymphadenectomy are very important to improve the effectiveness of lymphadenectomy around common hepatic artery in gastric cancer.
Objective To introduce a new approach of neurotization to treatment of the shoulder syndrome after the radical neck dissection by using transpositional anastomosis of C7 posterior root and the spinal accessory nerve to reconstruct the function of trapezius muscle. Methods From March 1999 to February 2001, 10 patients underwent the neurotization during the radical neck dissection. In the operation, the apo-cranial part of spinal accessory nerve was preserved from the trapezius muscle (gt;3.0 cm in length) and anastomosed to C7 posterior root. Objective physical examinations and electromyography were conducted before and after operation.One, 6 and 12 months after operation the trapezius muscle function after the transpositional anastomosis was evaluated. Results One, 6 and 12 months after operation, the recovery rates of each part were as follows: 9.8%, 68.9% and 73.5% in upper part; 4.7%, 73.6% and 69.4% in middle part; and 6.2%, 70.5% and 70.3% in lower part. The range of abduction motion of upper arm in 7 cases (70%) exceeded 90°. The mean maximal abduction angle was more than 95°. Evaluation of the shoulder function showed that myoatrophy was mild and the disability of abduction was classified as grade Ⅱ in 7 cases and grade Ⅲ in 3 cases. Conclusion Transpositional anastomosis of the C7 posterior root to thespinal accessory nerve after radical neck dissection can well reconstruct the function of trapezius muscle. This approach provides a wide indication in comparison with the functional neck dissection without impairment of arm function afterthe cutting of C7.
ObjectiveTo explore the value on excision of subpyloric (No.6 group) lymph nodes of stomach by detection of metastatic rate and metastasis of lymph nodes of No.6 group and its subgroups. MethodsThe clinical data including complete information on No.6 group and its subgroups lymph nodes in 80 patients underwent gastrectomy and subpyloric lymph nodes dissection for gastric cancer from January 2006 to December 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. Referring to the right gastroepiploic vein, the No.6 lymph nodes were divided into three subgroups (No.6a, No.6b, and No.6c subgroup), and the relationship between the metastasis of No.6 lymph nodes and clinicopathologic features as well as the metastasis of No.7, No.8a， and No.9 lymph nodes were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. ResultsThe metastatic rate of No.6 group lymph nodes was 41.3% (33/80) and with 26.0% (108/415) of the resected lymph nodes involved. The metastatic rate of lymph nodes in No.6a subgroup (7.5%, 6/80) was significantly lower than that in No.6b (16.3%, 13/80) and No.6c subgroup (36.3%, 29/80), Plt;0.001. The metastasis of the resected lymph nodes in No.6a, No.6b, and No.6c subgroup was 25.0% (8/32), 17.6% (13/74), and 28.2% (87/309), respectively, and the difference was not significant (P=0.292). The metastasis of lymph nodes in No.6a subgroup was correlated to T stage (P=0.042) and N stage (P=0.006). The metastasis of lymph nodes in No.6b subgroup was correlated to N stage (P=0.002) and TNM stage (P=0.013). The metastasis of lymph nodes in No.6c subgroup was correlated to differentiation degree of tumor (P=0.008), T stage (P=0.003), N stage (P=0.000), and TNM stage (P=0.000). The logistic regression analysis showed that the metastasis of lymph nodes was correlated to the metastasis of No.8a lymph nodes (P=0.023) and N stage (P=0.002) in No.6 group, the metastasis of No.8a lymph nodes (P=0.018) in No.6a subgroup, N stage (P=0.005) in No.6b subgroup, and the metastasis of No.8a lymph nodes (P=0.016) and N stage (P=0.004) in No.6c subgroup. ConclusionAttentions should be paid to the complete dissection of subpyloric lymph nodes in gastric cancer surgery, especially for the lymph nodes of No.6a and No.6b subgroups.
Objective To evaluate the effect of laparoscopy-assisted surgery for lymph node dissection in patients with carcinoma of gastric cardia. Methods The clinical data of patients with carcinoma of gastric cardia who underwent either laparoscopy-assisted or open gastrectomy between January 2004 and September 2009 in the Department of General Surgery, the Nanchong Central Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The number of lymph node dissection was compared. Results Thirty-nine patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (laparoscopy group) and 63 patients underwent open gastrectomy (open group). There was no significant difference in preoperative complications, type of pathology or pTNM stage between two groups (Pgt;0.05). The number of lymph node dissection was 16.44±6.25 in the laparoscopy group， of which the number of first station lymph node was 10.56±3.78 (metastasis rate was 74.4%), the second station was 3.82±1.82 (metastasis rate was 46.2%), the third station was 2.00±1.36 (metastasis rate was 5.1%); in the open group, the numbers of corresponding lymph node were 16.38±5.83, 10.94±3.91 (metastasis rate was 71.4%), 3.71±1.55 (metastasis rate was 42.9%), and 1.75±1.06 (metastasis rate was 3.2%), respectively. There was no significant difference between two groups (Pgt;0.05). Conclusion The effectiveness of lymph node dissection is satisfactory by laparoscopy-assisted surgery for patients with carcinoma of gastric cardia, but prospective efficacy is still being followed up.
ObjectiveTo investigate the predictive value of recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes (RLN) status for supraclavicular lymph node (SLN) metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 83 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent McKeown three-field lymphadenectomy from January 2017 to April 2018 in our hospital, including 53 males and 30 females with an average age of 64.07±7.05 years.ResultsThe SLN metastasis rate of the patients was 24.1%. The rate in the thoracic and abdominal metastases positive (N1-3) group and negative (N0) group was 37.8% and 13.0%, respectively, with a statistical difference (P<0.05). The rate of SLN metastasis was significantly different between the RLN metastasis positive (RLN+) and negative (RLN–) groups (39.1% vs. 18.3%, P<0.05). One side of RLN metastasis could lead to SLN metastasis on the opposite side. No correlation between the SLN metastasis and age, gender, location, differentiation degree, maximum tumor diameter, T-staging or histologic type was observed (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis in chest or abdomen was an independent predictor of SLN metastasis.ConclusionRLN+ is not the independent predictor for SLN metastasis. SLN should be dissected in N1-3 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma without considering tumor location and T-staging. Bilateral SLN dissection should be recommended even if RLN metastasis is only unilateral.
Objective To evaluate the safety，efficacy，short- and long-term clinical outcomes of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods Clinical data of231 consecutive patients with NSCLC who underwent complete VATS lobectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of NanjingMedical University between June 2006 and March 2011 were retrospective analyzed. There were 132 male and 99 femalepatients with their age of 15-81 （59.51±11.90） years. Preoperative cancer staging wasⅠa in 149 patients，Ⅰb in 50 patients，Ⅱa in 14 patients，Ⅱb in 13 patients and Ⅲa in 5 patients. There were 152 patients with adenocarcinoma，41 patients with squamous carcinoma，23 patients with bronchioalveolar carcinoma，5 patients with adenosquamous carcinoma，4 patients with large cell carcinoma，and 6 patients with other carcinoma. Follow-up data were statistically analyzed，and short-and long-term survival rates were calculated. Results No perioperative mortality was observed. Operation time was 60-370（199.14±51.04） minutes，and intraoperative blood loss was 10-2 300 （168.19±176.39） ml. Thirty-seven patients had postoperative complications including air leak，pulmonary infection，atelectasis，arrhythmia，subcutaneous emphysema andothers，who were all cured after conservative treatment. Mean number of dissected lymph nodes was 11.14±5.49，and meannumber of explored nodal stations was 3.66±1.52. There were 51 patients （22.08%） whose postoperative cancer staging wasmore advanced than preoperative cancer staging. Postoperative hospital stay was 3-36 （10.79±5.13） days. Primary causesof prolonged postoperative hospitalization included pulmonary air leak，pulmonary infection，preoperative concomitant chronic pulmonary diseases （COPD，asthma），and moderate to severe pulmonary dysfunction. A total of 228 patients werefollowed up for a mean duration of 40.83 months （22-82 months），and 3 patients were lost during follow-up. Overall 5-yearsurvival rates were 85.78%，52.54% and 32.70% for stageⅠ，stageⅡand stageⅢ-Ⅳpatients respectively. Five-year cancerfreesurvival rates were 80.00%，45.37% and 20.99% for stageⅠ，stageⅡand stageⅢ-Ⅳpatients respectively. ConclusionThe advantages of VATS lobectomy include smaller surgical incision，less injury and postoperative pain，quicker postoperative recovery and shorter hospital stay. Long-term survival rate is comparable to previous international and Chinese studies. VATS lobectomy can anatomically achieve complete tumor resection and systematic lymph node dissection. VATS lobectomy will become a standard surgical procedure for NSCLC patients.
ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of lymphadenectomy in different regions for esophageal squamous cell carcinomas located differently according to the lymph node grouping by Chinese expert consensus. MethodsThe medical records of 1 061 patients (886 males and 175 females with a median age of 60 (54, 65) years with esophageal cancer from March 2011 to December 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to the pathological report, the lymph nodes were regrouped according to the Chinese lymph nodes grouping standard of esophageal cancer. The metastasis rate of each group of lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate of metastatic patients and efficacy index (EI) were calculated. ResultsThe upper thoracic esophageal cancer mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C201-203 groups. The middle and lower thoracic tumors mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C205-207 groups. The lower thoracic tumor had a higher rate of metastasis to the abdominal lymph nodes. According to the metastasis rate, the mediastinal lymph nodes were divided into three regions: an upper mediastinum (C201-204), a middle mediastinum (C205-206), and a lower mediastinum (C207-209). The EIs of lymph nodes of C201-203 and C205-207 groups were higher. For patients with C201-207 groups metastasis, the 5-year survival rates ranged from 13.39% to 21.60%. For patients with positive lymph nodes in each region, tumors at different primary locations had no statistical difference in long-term survival (P>0.05). Patients with lymph nodes of C205 group in the upper thoracic tumors had lower EI and those in the middle and lower thoracic tumors had higher EIs. ConclusionThe effect of lymph node dissection in each area varies with the location of the tumor. No matter where the tumor is, it is necessary to dissect the upper mediastinal lymph nodes, especially the lymph nodes adjacent to the left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves. Group C205 should be classified into the lower mediastinal lymph nodes.
ObjectiveTo explore the factors associated with non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis in early breast cancer patients with 1-2 positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLN), seeking the basis for exempting some SLN-positive patients from axillary lymph node dissection. MethodsA total of 299 early breast cancer patients who were diagnosed with positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and underwent axillary lymph node dissection at the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2019 to April 2023 were selected. Univariate analysis was performed on the clinical and pathological data of patients, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors related to axillary non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis of patients with SLN positive in early breast cancer. GraphPad Prim 9.0 was used to draw receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the area under curve (AUC) of ROC was calculated to quantify the predictive value of risk factors. ResultsAmong the 299 breast cancer patients with 1-2 SLN positive, 101 cases (33.78%) were NSLN positive and 198 cases (66.22%) were NSLN negative. Univariate analysis showed that the number of positive SLN, clinical T staging and lymphovascular invasion were related to the metastasis of NSLN (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that having 2 positive SLN [OR=3.601, 95%CI (2.005, 6.470), P<0.001], clinical T2 staging [OR=4.681, 95%CI (2.633, 8.323), P<0.001], and presence lymphovascular invasion [OR=3.781, 95%CI (2.124, 6.730), P<0.001] were risk factors affecting axillary NSLN metastasis. The AUCs of the three risk factors were 0.623 3, 0.702 7 and 0.682 5, respectively, and the AUCs all were greater than 0.6, suggesting that the three risk factors had good predictive ability for NSLN metastasis. ConclusionThe number of positive SLN, clinical T staging, and lymphovascular invasion are related factors affecting NSLN metastasis in early breast cancer patients with positive SLN, and these factors have guiding significance for whether to exempt axillary lymph node dissection.
Objective To study the application of ultracision harmonic scalpel in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. Methods Ten patients with gastric cancer were given laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy by using ultracision harmonic scalpel. Results All operations were successfully performed with ultracision harmonic scalpel, and none of which converted into open surgery. The operation time was 300-492 min, mean (385±64) min. The blood loss was 100-500 ml, mean (401±70) ml. The number of harvested lymph nodes was 21-43, mean 31±6. The time for gastrointestinal function recovery was 3-6 d, mean (4.2±1.0) d. The time of patients’ taking out-of-bed activity was 3-７ d, mean (4.5±1.3) d. The time of taking liquid food was 4-６ d, mean (5.0±0.9) d. No case had relapse or metastasis after 4-20 months (mean 12.6 months) of follow-up. Conclusions Laparoscopic radical gastrectomy by using ultracision harmonic scalpel is safe and feasible. Ultracision harmonic scalpel has the advantage of minimal invasion, less bleeding and shorter operation time, which is a very important equipment and useful for laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery.