The Lymph Node Ratio Is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Who Receive Curative Resection Followed by Adjuvant Chemotherapy.

Abstract

The present study investigated the impact of the lymph node ratio (LNR) on survival and recurrence in patients with pancreatic cancer after curative surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. This study included 189 patients who underwent curative surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer between 2005 and 2014. The risk factors for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were identified. A lymph node ratio of 0.1 was considered to be the optimal cut-off point for classification based on the 3-year and 5-year survival rates. The OS rates at three and five years after surgery were 34.4% and 28.2% in the LNR <0.1 group, respectively, and 23.1% and 5.8% in the LNR ≥0.1 group, which amounted to a statistically significant difference (p=0.003). The RFS rates at one and three years after surgery were 26.6% and 20.5% in the LNR <0.1 group, respectively, and 8.0% and 0% in the LNR ≥0.1 group, which was a significant difference (p=0.001). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that the LNR was a significant independent risk factor for both the OS and RFS. The LNR was a risk factor for overall survival in patients who underwent curative surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. It is necessary to develop strategies to effectively utilize the lymph node metastasis status.