Invasion In Early Gastric Cancer Research Articles

Machine learning models to predict submucosal invasion in early gastric cancer based on endoscopy features and standardized color metrics

Conventional endoscopy is widely used in the diagnosis of early gastric cancers (EGCs), but the graphical features were loosely defined and dependent on endoscopists’ experience. We aim to establish a more accurate predictive model for infiltration depth of early gastric cancer including a standardized colorimetric system, which demonstrates promising clinical implication. A retrospective study of 718 EGC cases was performed. Clinical and pathological characteristics were included, and Commission Internationale de l’Eclariage (CIE) standard colorimetric system was used to evaluate the chromaticity of lesions. The predicting models were established in the derivation set using multivariate backward stepwise logistic regression, decision tree model, and random forest model. Logistic regression shows location, macroscopic type, length, marked margin elevation, WLI color difference and histological type are factors significantly independently associated with infiltration depth. In the decision tree model, margin elevation, lesion located in the lower 1/3 part, WLI a*color value, b*color value, and abnormal thickness in enhanced CT were selected, which achieved an AUROC of 0.810. A random forest model was established presenting the importance of each feature with an accuracy of 0.80, and an AUROC of 0.844. Quantified color metrics can improve the diagnostic precision in the invasion depth of EGC. We have developed a nomogram model using logistic regression and machine learning algorithms were also explored, which turned out to be helpful in decision-making progress.

Early Gastric Cancer Widespread Invading the Duodenum: A Case Report

Background: Gastric cancer has been observed to infrequently infiltrate the duodenum, with a prevalence of duodenal involvement ranging from 11.9%-23.8% [1] among patients with cancer in the gastric antrum. However, it is importantto note that the majority of these instances pertain to advanced gastric cancers, as the occurrence of duodenal invasion in early gastric cancer is exceedingly uncommon. Case presentation: A 62-year-old female patient presented with peripyloric thickening of the gastric antrum near the pyloric ring on gastroscopy. The lesion extended into the duodenum, appearing as a nodular and uneven intraduodenal lesion near the pyloric ring. The majority of the lesion exhibited a type 0-IIa flat elevation covered by White Opaque Substance (WOS). A CT scan with enhanced examination revealed no evidence of enlarged metastatic lymph nodes or distant metastasis. Biopsy of the intragastric lesion indicated high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, with no surrounding enlarged metastatic lymph nodes observed. The lesion exhibited softness during the endoscopic insufflation test, indicating its conformity with Early Gastric Cancer (EGC) characterized by the encircling invasion of the duodenum. A laparoscopic-assisted major gastrectomy (D2) procedure was conducted, accompanied by B-II anastomosis. The surgical intervention and subsequent recuperation proceeded without complications, and there was no evidence of metastatic recurrence within a 13-month postoperative period. Conclusion: This case presents an unusual instance of early gastric cancer, providing additional evidence to support the notion that early gastric cancer can indeed infiltrate the duodenum by directly penetrating the mucosal layer.

Reduced DEFA5 Expression and STAT3 Activation Underlie the Submucosal Invasion of Early Gastric Cancers

Introduction: Submucosal invasion is a core hallmark of early gastric cancer (EGC) with poor prognosis. However, the molecular mechanism of the progression from intramucosal gastric cancer (IMGC) to early submucosal-invasive gastric cancer (SMGC) is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to identify genes and pathways involved in the submucosal invasion in EGC using comprehensive gene expression analysis. Methods: Gene expression profiling was performed for eight cases of IMGC and eight cases of early SMGC with submucosal invasion ≥500 μm. To validate the findings of gene expression analysis and to examine the gene expression pattern in tissues, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed for 50 cases of IMGC and SMGC each. Results: Gene expression analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of small intestine-specific genes were significantly decreased in SMGC. Among them, defensin alpha 5 (DEFA5) was the most downregulated gene in SMGC, which was further validated in SMGC tissues by IHC staining. Gene set enrichment analysis showed a strong association between SMGC, the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and the upregulation of STAT3-activating cytokines. The expression of phosphorylated STAT3 was significant in the nucleus of tumor cells in SMGC tissues but not in areas expressing DEFA5. Conclusion: The results of this study strongly suggest that the downregulation of DEFA5 and the activation of STAT3 play a significant role in the submucosal invasion of EGC.

P-206 Endoscopic prediction of depth of tumor invasion in early gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach

P-206 Endoscopic prediction of depth of tumor invasion in early gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach

P-422 Does the non-lifting sign predict the depth of invasion in early gastric cancer?

P-422 Does the non-lifting sign predict the depth of invasion in early gastric cancer?

Endoscopic prediction of depth of tumor invasion in early gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach.

406 Background: The endoscopic features of early gastric cancer (EGC) arising from the upper third of the stomach (upper body, fundus, and cardia) has not been well studied. If EGC in the upper third of the stomach can be predicted to have invaded the mucosal (M) or submucosal (SM) layer, endoscopic or surgical treatment can be determined. This study evaluated the endoscopic features of EGC in the upper third of the stomach as well as risk factors for SM invasion. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients' medical records from a single tertiary hospital (Daejeon) and investigated endoscopic findings and clinical data. Patients with EGC in the upper third of the stomach who underwent surgery or endoscopic resection between January 2016 and April 2022 were included. Logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors of the SM cancer group. Results: In total, 173 patients were enrolled in this study: 94 with SM cancer and 79 with M cancer. Risk factors for SM invasion determined by univariate logistic regression were clubbing of converging folds (OR 6.279, p=0.000), fusion of converging folds (OR 9.179, P=0.000), irregular nodule in the central lesion (OR 2.336, p=0.016), margin with elevation (OR 2.520, P=0.031), and ulceration (OR 9.686, p=0.000). However, in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, only ulceration was identified as a risk factor (OR 6.598, p=0.007). Conclusions: In EGC occurring in the upper third of the stomach, ulceration is a risk factor for SM invasion. Surgical treatment should be considered if this characteristic is present.

The Clinicopathological Features of Mixed Carcinoma in 7,215 Patients with Gastric Cancer in a Tertiary Hospital in South Korea.

There are few reports regarding mixed carcinoma, defined as a mixture of glandular and poorly cohesive components, in patients with gastric cancer (GC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion and characteristics of mixed carcinoma in GC patients. A total of 7,215 patients diagnosed with GC at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital were enrolled from March 2011 to February 2020. GC was divided into four groups (well-moderately differentiated GC, poorly differentiated GC, poorly cohesive carcinoma, and mixed carcinoma). The proportion of each GC type and the clinicopathological features were analyzed and divided into early GC and advanced GC. The proportion of mixed carcinoma was 10.9% (n=787). In early GC, submucosal invasion was the most common in poorly differentiated (53.7%), and mixed carcinoma ranked second (41.1%). Mixed carcinoma showed the highest proportion of lymph node metastasis in early GC (23.0%) and advanced GC (78.3%). In advanced GC, the rate of distant metastasis was 3.6% and 3.9% in well-moderately differentiated GC and mixed carcinoma, respectively, lower than that in poorly differentiated GC (6.4%) and poorly cohesive carcinoma (5.7%), without statistical significance. Mixed carcinoma was associated with lymph node metastasis compared to other histological GC subtypes. And it showed relatively common submucosal invasion in early GC, but the rates of venous invasion and distant metastasis were lower in advanced GC. Further research is needed to uncover the mechanism underlying these characteristics of mixed carcinoma (Trial registration number: NCT04973631).

Mixed Histologic Type is a Risk Factor for Lymph Node Metastasis in Submucosal Invasive Early Gastric Cancer

IntroductionThe treatment regimen for early gastric cancer (EGC) with mixed histologic type remains controversial. We aimed to clarify the relationship between mixed histologic type and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in EGC, with emphasis on submucosal invasive EGC. MethodsWe collected data on 730 consecutive EGC patients at Nanjing Drum Tower hospital between June 2010 and May 2019. Risk factors of LNM and overall survival were analyzed to compare the prognostic differences between different histologic types. ResultsMixed-type EGC patients had higher LNM rates than differentiated-type patients (29.2 % versus 10.6 %, P < 0.001), while no significant difference was found between mixed-type and undifferentiated-type EGC patients (29.2% versus 24.0%, P = 0.225). Multivariate analyses identified tumor location (cardiac and bottom versus antrum), larger tumor size, submucosal invasion, histologic differentiation (undifferentiated-type, mixed-type versus differentiated-type), and lymphovascular invasion as independent risk factors for LNM in EGC patients. Subgroup analysis further elucidated that mixed histologic type was associated with LNM in submucosa invasive EGC, but not in mucosa-confined EGC. There was no statistical significance in overall survival and disease-specific survival of submucosal invasive EGC patients who underwent radical gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy between different histologic types (P = 0.151). ConclusionsMixed histologic type may be an independent risk factor for LNM in submucosal invasive EGC. Curative resection with lymphadenectomy should be considered the appropriate treatment for submucosal invasive EGC with mixed histologic type.

Accuracy of Endoscopic Ultrasonography for Determining the Depth of Invasion in Early Gastric Cancer.

Background:Accurate staging for depth of invasion (T stage) of early gastric cancer is critical for determining the treatment modality. Endoscopic ultrasonography is a reliable method for assessing the T stage. However, its diagnostic accuracy varies. The aim of this study is to investigate clinicopathologic factors affecting the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography in early gastric cancer.Methods:Patients with early gastric cancer who had undergone endoscopic resection or gastrectomy were included. The diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography was evaluated by comparing the T stage by endoscopic ultrasonography with histopathology of the resected specimen. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the endoscopic resection criteria.Results:A total of 223 early gastric cancer lesions were included. The overall accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography for T staging was 66.4%. The diagnostic accuracy for lesions ≤2 cm was significantly higher than for those of 2-3 cm (odds ratio 3.59) or those >3 cm (odds ratio 5.47). The diagnostic accuracy was significantly decreased in lesions with ulceration (odds ratio 2.62) or non-flat morphology (odds ratio 2.94). The accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography for lesions corresponding to the absolute endoscopic resection criteria was significantly higher than for those corresponding to the expanded criteria (97.3% vs 71.9%, P = .002). Of the tumors that were overestimated by endoscopic ultrasonography treated with gastrectomy, 93.3% corresponded to the expanded criteria.Conclusion:Endoscopic ultrasonography had poor accuracy in early gastric cancer lesions larger than 2 cm, those with ulceration, and those with non-flat morphology, that is, lesions corresponding to the expanded criteria were more frequently overstaged by endoscopic ultrasonography. Such early gastric cancers should be carefully considered when staging by endoscopic ultrasonography before gastrectomy.

Depth estimation of tumor invasion in early gastric cancer using scattering of circularly polarized light: Monte Carlo Simulation study.

Quantitative depth estimation of tumor invasion in early gastric cancer by scattering of circularly polarized light is computationally investigated using the Monte Carlo method. Using the optical parameters of the human stomach wall and its carcinoma, the intensity and circular polarization of light scattered from pseudo-healthy and cancerous tissues were calculated over a wide spectral range. Large differences in the circular polarization with opposite signs, together with the large intensity, are obtained at wavelengths 600 nm and 950 nm. At these two wavelengths, the sampling depth of the biological tissues can be modulated by tuning the detection angle. In bi-layered pseudo-tissues with a cancerous layer on a healthy layer and vice versa, the degree of circular polarization of scattered light shows systematic changes depending on the thickness and depth of the cancerous layer, which indicates the feasibility of in vivo quantitative estimation of cancer progression in early gastric cancer.

Application of convolutional neural networks for evaluating the depth of invasion of early gastric cancer based on endoscopic images.

Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in endoscopic examination and is expected to help in endoscopic diagnosis. We evaluated the feasibility of AI using convolutional neural network (CNN) systems for evaluating the depth of invasion of early gastric cancer (EGC), based on endoscopic images. This study used a deep CNN model, ResNet152. From patients who underwent treatment for EGC at our hospital between January 2012 and December 2016, we selected 100 consecutive patients with mucosal (M) cancers and 100 consecutive patients with cancers invading the submucosa (SM cancers). A total of 3508 non-magnifying endoscopic images of EGCs, including white-light imaging, linked color imaging, blue laser imaging-bright, and indigo-carmine dye contrast imaging, were included in this study. A total of 2288 images from 132 patients served as the development dataset, and 1220 images from 68 patients served as the testing dataset. Invasion depth was evaluated for each image and lesion. The majority vote was applied to lesion-based evaluation. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for diagnosing M cancer were 84.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 82.3%-87.5%), 70.7% (95% CI 66.8%-74.6%), and 78.9% (95% CI 76.6%-81.2%), respectively, for image-based evaluation, and 85.3% (95% CI 73.4%-97.2%), 82.4% (95% CI 69.5%-95.2%), and 83.8% (95% CI 75.1%-92.6%), respectively, for lesion-based evaluation. The application of AI using CNN to evaluate the depth of invasion of EGCs based on endoscopic images is feasible, and it is worth investing more effort to put this new technology into practical use.

Clinical feasibility and oncologic safety of primary endoscopic submucosal dissection for clinical submucosal invasive early gastric cancer.

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical feasibility and oncologic safety of primary endoscopic submucosal dissection for cT1bN0M0 gastric cancer by identifying patients who had undergone curative resection after endoscopic submucosal dissection and patients who had undergone primary surgery but could be treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection. A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with cT1bN0M0 gastric cancer (size: ≤ 30mm) and differentiated histology from January 2007 to May 2017. Submucosal invasion was evaluated using conventional endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography. Patients were divided into the primary endoscopic submucosal dissection and primary surgery groups according to initial treatment. Curative resection rate was 65.0% (91/140) in the primary endoscopic submucosal dissection group. Of patients in the primary surgery group, 49.1% (82/167) were considered eligible for endoscopic submucosal dissection. No differences in en bloc resection rate were observed between pT1a and pT1b gastric cancers after endoscopic submucosal dissection (97.8 vs. 97.9%). However, the negative horizontal margin rate was higher in pT1a gastric cancer than pT1b gastric cancer (98.9 vs. 91.3%). There was no difference in overall survival among the curative treatment groups (log rank P = 0.310). In this study, 173 (56.4%) out of 307 patients with cT1bN0M0 gastric cancer could avoid unnecessary surgery if primary endoscopic submucosal dissection was used. Based on these findings, it is necessary to add an appropriate indication for endoscopic submucosal dissection in patients with cT1b gastric cancer. Further management could be determined based on pathologic findings after primary endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Effect of administration of a proton pump inhibitor for ulcerative differentiated early gastric cancer prior to endoscopic submucosal dissection

Predicting the depth of invasion for early gastric cancer (EGC) with ulcerative findings may prove difficult. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of ulcer healing and clinical effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) administration for ulcerative differentiated EGC prior to endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). A total of 214 patients with ulcerative differentiated EGC who were treated by ESD were retrospectively analyzed, among whom 129 had been administered a PPI prior to ESD and 85 patients had not. The degree of ulcer healing following administration of PPI and the clinical outcome were compared between the PPI and non-PPI groups. The ulcer healing rate (80.7 vs. 30.6%, P<0.001) and complete ulcer healing rate (45.0 vs. 16.5%, P<0.001) differed significantly between the PPI and non-PPI groups, respectively. The ESD procedure time was 86.0 (73) vs. 100.0 (68.0) min (P=0.044). However, no significant differences were observed in the en bloc resection rate, complete resection rate, or the incidence of adverse events. Based on the multivariate regression analysis, PPI administration [odds ratio (OR)=4.909, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.459-9.799, P<0.001] and mucosal cancer (OR=9.336, 95% CI 2.693-32.362, P<0.001) were independent predictive factors for complete ulcer healing. Partial or complete ulcer healing following PPI administration had a better predictive ability than EUS for mucosal invasion (kappa value 0.553 vs. 0.101; Youden index 0.553 vs. 0.132). Partial or complete ulcer healing following PPI administration predicts differentiated EGC that is confined to the mucosa.

Role of PD-L1 Expression during the Progression of Submucosal Gastric Cancer

Introduction: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is a prognostic marker for gastric cancer that correlates with tumor diameter and depth of penetration. But the role of PD-L1 and mechanism(s) employed in the initial phase of invasion in early gastric cancer is yet to be understood. Objective: This study aims to elucidate the role of PD-L1 during the progression of gastric cancer, specifically invading the submucosa beyond the lamina muscularis mucosa. Methods: Using 107 patients with pathological submucosal gastric cancer, we determined the expression of PD-L1 based on the staining of the cell membrane or cytoplasm of tumor cells in the central and invasive front of the tumor. Samples were categorized into 3 groups based on the intensity of PD-L1 expression. CD8⁺ lymphocytes expressing PD-1 and CD163⁺ macrophages were used to determine the number of cell nuclei at the invasive front, similar to PD-L1. CMTM6 levels were determined and used to stratify samples into 3 groups. Results: PD-L1 expression was higher in the invasive front (26.2%) than in the central portion of the tumors (7.4%; p < 0.001). Moreover, lymphatic and vascular invasion were more frequently observed in samples with high levels of PD-L1 (lymphatic invasion: 60.7 vs. 35.4%, p = 0.0026, and vascular invasion: 39.3 vs. 16.5%, p = 0.0018). There was no correlation between PD-L1 expression and the levels of PD-1, CD8, CD163, and CMTM6. Conclusions: PD-L1-expressing cancer cells at the invasive front of gastric cancer influence the initial stages of tumor invasion and lymphovascular permeation in early-stage gastric cancers. Immune checkpoint signaling may be the driving force in the invasive front during the invasion of the submucosa beyond the lamina muscularis mucosa.

Lymphovascular invasion in early gastric cancer: impact of ancillary D2-40 and elastin staining on interobserver agreement.

Lymphatic invasion (LI) and venous invasion (VI) are the strongest risk factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with early gastric cancer, and may predict their prognosis. We aimed to investigate interobserver agreement among pathologists before and after adding ancillary staining for diagnosing LI and VI in this setting. This retrospective study included 100 specimens of submucosal invasive gastric cancer from 100 patients treated using endoscopic resection. Three pathologists (expert, intermediate and trainee experience levels) independently evaluated individual LI and VI status using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides, and re-evaluated their decisions by reviewing corresponding D2-40-stained and elastin-stained slides. Interobserver agreement was assessed using κ statistics. With the ancillary D2-40 staining, there was an improved agreement for LI diagnoses between the expert and intermediate pathologist (H&E κ=0.78, D2-40 κ=0.85) and between the expert and trainee pathologist (H&E κ=0.37, D2-40 κ=0.56). With the ancillary elastin staining, there was an improved agreement for VI diagnoses between the expert and intermediate pathologists (H&E κ=0.25, elastin κ=0.63) and between the expert and trainee pathologists (H&E κ=0.29, elastin κ=0.45). With both the ancillary D2-40 and elastin staining there was an improved interobserver agreement for LI and VI diagnoses, regardless of the pathologist's experience. This ancillary staining may be useful in improving the accuracy of LI and VI diagnoses, helping to improve the risk stratification of early gastric cancer patients.

Clinicopathological Features of Advanced Gastric Cancers which Were Misjudged and Subjected to Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

Background and Aims Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is widely performed for early gastric cancer (EGC). We have sometimes encountered gastric cancer lesions for which ESD was performed and at which pathologically advanced cancer was found. In this study, we performed clinicopathological examination of lesions whose endoscopic diagnosis and pathology differed substantially. Methods ESD was performed for 2,194 gastric cancer lesions (1,753 cases) in our institute from April 2005 through March 2015. The vertical margin was positive or status unknown in 51 lesions (2.3%); among these, muscularis propria (MP) or deeper infiltration was identified in 6 lesions from specimens obtained during subsequent surgery. In 1 lesion with MP invasion, the vertical margin was negative. We evaluated the clinicopathological features of these 7 lesions and retrospectively reviewed endoscopic indicators of submucosal invasion for EGC on white light imaging (WLI), narrow-band imaging magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME), and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) performed previously. Results Average age was 73.2 ± 7.2 years, and all cases were men. The 7 lesions diagnosed as advanced cancer were 0.32% of 2,194 lesions and were all located in the U region (fundus). On retrospective review of endoscopic findings, 2 of 7 lesions on WBI, 3 of 6 lesions on NBI-ME, and 2 of 5 lesions on EUS met the criteria for indicating submucosal invasion of EGC. No lesions had findings on all 3 modalities. Conclusion In rare cases, advanced gastric cancer could not be accurately diagnosed by endoscopy using various modalities. Each case had special characteristics making identification of deep infiltration difficult.

A model of predicting infiltration depth of early gastric cancers based on conventional white light endoscopy and magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging findings

Objective To analyze the characteristics of early gastric cancer (EGC) with submucosal infiltration under conventional white light endoscopy (C-WLE) and magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging (ME-NBI), and to improve the diagnostic accuracy of EGC infiltration by combining C-WLE and ME-NBI findings. Methods Data of patients who received endoscopic submucosal dissection or surgical treatment for EGC at Beijing Friendship Hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The basic information, lesion characteristics, and postoperative pathology of patients were collected. The characteristics of EGC with submucosal infiltration were analyzed, and a model for predicting the depth of EGC invasion was constructed by combining independent risk factors of submucosal infiltration. Results A total of 207 lesions in 195 patients were included in the study, divided into the modeling group (138 lesions) and the testing group (69 lesions) in the ratio 2∶1. In the modeling group, the lesions located in the upper third of the stomach (OR=12.949, 95%CI: 2.148-78.070, P=0.005), middle third of the stomach (OR=7.534, 95%CI: 1.044-54.360, P=0.045), >2 cm in size (OR=6.828, 95%CI: 1.657-28.136, P=0.008) and presence of dilated blood vessel (OR=6.856, 95%CI: 1.577-29.805, P=0.010) were independent risk factors for submucosal infiltration. Based on the above independent risk factors, the infiltration depth predicting scoring system (DPSS) was constructed (5 points for the lesion located in upper third of the stomach, 4 points for the lesions located in the middle third of stomach, 4 points for lesions >2 cm in size, and 4 points for the presence of dilated vessels). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting the infiltration depth of DPSS were 0.884 (95%CI: 0.809-0.960) in the modeling group and 0.799 (95%CI: 0.684-0.914) in the testing group. The sensitivities of the modeling group and the testing group were 83.3% and 71.4% respectively; and the specificities were 76.2% and 74.5%, respectively in the two groups at 8 as the cut-off score. Conclusion The DPSS based on C-WLE and ME-NBI findings can predict the invasion depth of EGC. Key words: Stomach neoplasms; Early diagnosis; Tumor infiltrating; Forecasting models; Magnification endoscopy with narrow band imaging

Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Endoscopic Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer Invasion Depth: A Meta-analysis.

Background Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is the first imaging modality for investigating the depth of invasion in early gastric cancer (EGC). However, there is presently no consensus on the accuracy of EUS in diagnosing the invasion depth of EGC. Aim This study is aimed at systematically evaluating the accuracy of EUS in diagnosing the invasion depth of EGC and its affecting factors. Methods The literatures were identified by searching PubMed, SpringerLink, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Nature, and Karger knowledge databases. Two researchers extracted the data from the literature and reconstructed these in 2 × 2 tables. The Meta-DiSc software was used to evaluate the overall sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic advantage ratio, and 95% confidence interval (CI). The SROC was drawn, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the diagnostic value. Results A total of 17 articles were selected, which included 4525 cases of lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic dominance ratio, and 95% CI of EUS for diagnosing EGC was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.86-0.88), 0.67 (95% CI: 0.65-0.70), 2.90 (95% CI: 2.25-3.75), 0.17 (95% CI: 0.13-0.23), and 18.25 (95% CI: 12.61-26.39), respectively. The overall overstaging rate of mucosa/submucosa 1 (M/SM1) and SM by EUS was 13.31% and 32.8%, respectively, while the overall understaging rate of SM was 29.7%. The total misdiagnosis rates for EUS were as follows: 30.4% for lesions ≥ 2 cm and 20.9% for lesions < 2 cm, 27.7% for ulcerative lesions and 21.4% for nonulcerative lesions, and 22% for differentiated lesions and 26.9% for undifferentiated lesions. Conclusion EUS has a moderate diagnostic value for the depth of invasion of EGC. The shape, size, and differentiation of lesions might be the main factors that affect the accuracy of EUS in diagnosing EGC.

Endoscopic Ultrasonography Miniature Probe Performance for Depth Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer with Suspected Submucosal Invasion.

Background/AimsThe accurate assessment of the depth of invasion of early gastric cancer (EGC) is critical to determine the most appropriate treatment option. However, it is difficult to distinguish shallow submucosal (SM1) invasion from deeper submucosal (SM2) invasion. We investigated the diagnostic performance of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) using a miniature probe for EGC with suspected SM invasion.MethodsFrom April 2008 to June 2018, EGCs with suspected SM invasion were analyzed retrospectively. The EGCs examined by a 20 MHz high-frequency miniature probe was included in our study. Esophago-gastric junction cancers and patients treated by chemotherapy before resection were excluded. The sensitivity and specificity for the detection of SM2 invasion by EUS were compared with those of white light imaging (WLI). Additionally, factors related to depth underestimation or overestimation were investigated using multivariate analysis.ResultsA total of 278 EGCs in 259 patients were included in the final analysis. The sensitivity and specificity for SM2 or deeper by EUS were 73.7% (87/118) and 74.4% (119/160), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity by WLI were 47.5% (56/118) and 68.1% (109/160), respectively. The sensitivity of EUS was significantly superior to that of conventional endoscopy (p<0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that an anterior location of the EGC was an independent risk factor for underestimation by EUS (odds ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 9.8; p=0.03).ConclusionsThe depth diagnostic performance for EGCs with suspected SM invasion using EUS was satisfactory and superior to that of conventional endoscopy. Additionally, it is important to recognize factors that may lead to misdiagnosis in those lesions.

Risk factors of lymph node metastasis or lymphovascular invasion for early gastric cancer: a practical and effective predictive model based on international multicenter data

BackgroundMost lymph node metastasis (LNM) models for early gastric cancer (EGC) include lymphovascular invasion (LVI) as a predictor. However, LVI must be confirmed by postoperative pathology. In this study, we aimed to develop a model for predicting the risk of LNM/LVI in EGC using preoperative factors.MethodsEGC patients who underwent radical gastrectomy at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital and Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (n = 1460) were selected as the training set. The risk factors of LNM/LVI were investigated. Data from the International study group on Minimally Invasive surgery for GASTRIc Cancer trial (n = 172) were selected as the validation set.ResultsIn the training set, the incidence of LNM/LVI was 21.6%. The 5-year cancer-specific survival rates of patients with and without LNM/LVI were 92.4 and 95.0%, respectively, with significant difference (P = 0.030). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the four independent risk factors for LNM/LVI were female, tumor larger than 20 mm, submucosal invasion and undifferentiated tumor histological type (all P < 0.05); the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.694 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.659–0.730). Patients were divided into low-risk, intermediate-risk, high-risk and extremely high-risk groups by recursive partitioning analysis; the incidences of LNM/LVI were 5.4, 12.6, 24.2 and 37.8%, respectively (P < 0.001). The AUC of the validation set was 0.796 (95%CI, 0.662–0.851) and the predictive performance of the LNM/LVI risk in the validation set was consistent with that in the training set.ConclusionsThe risk of LNM/LVI in differentiated mucosal EGC is low, which indicated that endoscopic resection is a treatment option. The risk of LNM/LVI in undifferentiated mucosal EGC and submucosa EGC are high and gastrectomy with lymph node dissection is suggested.