Long-term prognosis of surgical treatment for peri-gastric cardial gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Abstract

Objective: To explore the long-term prognosis of surgical treatment for peri-gastric cardial gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed selected data of patients with peri-gastric cardial GISTs who had undergone radical surgery in Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, from May 1998 to December 2020. Inclusion criteria comprised radical surgery, pathologically confirmed primary gastric GIST; tumor involving the cardia or within 5 cm of the cardia dentate line; and relatively complete clinical data, including adjuvant therapy and follow-up information. Exclusion criteria comprised presence of multiple GISTs or a history of other malignancies and evidence of distant metastasis or local invasion either preoperatively or intraoperatively. The study cohort comprised 170 patients, including 98 men (57.6%), with a median age of 62 years (range: 30-85 years). Tumors were located less than 2 cm from the dentate line in 97 patients and 2 to 5 cm from it in 73. Tumor growth patterns were intraluminal in 85 patients, extraluminal in 61, and both intraluminal and extraluminal in 24. Tumor diameters were ≤2.0 cm in 11 patients, 2.1-5.0 cm in 90, 5.1-10.0 cm in 60, and >10.0 cm in nine. Mitosis counts (per 50 high-power fields) were ≤5 in 129 patients, 5-10 in 21, and >10 in 20. Risk stratification categorized patients as at extremely low risk in 10 patients, at low risk in 79, at intermediate risk in 43, and at high risk in 38. The guidelines for treatment were adhered to in 128 patients; 21 of 38 high-risk patients had received imatinib for ≥3 years. Primary outcomes included surgical procedure, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Data were analyzed using SPSS 28.0 and R studio. Results: Ninety of the patients had undergone open surgery, including five total gastrectomies, 49 proximal gastrectomies, and 36 local resections. In addition, 80 patients had undergone laparoscopic local resections. The median follow-up time was 82.5 months (range 13-278 months). The OS rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 100.0%, 98.2%, 96.9%, and 89.6%, respectively. The DFS rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 99.4%, 95.9%, 92.0%, and 88.0%, respectively. After adjusting for tumor diameter, mitotic count, adjuvant therapy, distance from the cardia, and growth pattern using propensity score matching, we found no statistically significant differences in DFS and OS between proximal gastrectomy and partial resection, or between open local resection and laparoscopic local resection (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Surgical treatment of peri-gastric cardial GISTs has a favorable long-term prognosis. The oncological efficacy of proximal gastrectomy and partial resection, whether performed via laparoscopic or open approaches, appears comparable for treatment of peri-gastric cardial GISTs.