Clinicopathological features of para-aortic lymph node metastases in patients with gallbladder cancer

Abstract

Objective To study the clinical course and clinicopathological features of para-aortic lymph node metastases in patients with gallbladder cancer. Methods Forty-two patients with gallbladder cancer who underwent radical resection combined with para-aortic lymphadenectomy at the Mianyang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2001 to December 2013 were retrospectively studied. The survival rates of the para-aortic lymph node metastasis group were compared with the negative para-aortic lymph node group of patients. Para-aortic lymph node metastasis as well as clinical features were correlated with survival. Results No one died within the perioperative period. The total complication rate was 24.0%, and there was no significant difference between the positive para-aortic lymph node group and the negative group (P>0.05). The rate of para-aortic lymph node metastasis on histopathology was 21.4% (9/42), which was positively correlated with tumor depth of invasion and negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation (P<0.01). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of the positive para-aortic lymph node group were significantly inferior to the negative group (P<0.05). Conclusions Dissection of para-aortic lymph nodes in patients with gallbladder cancer was safe and feasible. Lymphadenectomy did not improve the long-term survival rates of patients with para-aortic lymph node involvement metastases. The extent of lymph node dissection for gallbladder cancer should be decided by intraoperative biopsy. Key words: Gallbladder carcinoma; Para-aortic lymph node; Extended lymphadenectomy; Radical resection