Radical Systematic Lymphadenectomy Research Articles

The value of systematic lymphadenectomy during debulking surgery in the treatment of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BackgroundThe therapeutic value of systematic lymphadenectomy during debulking surgery for ovarian cancer remains controversial. We conduct this meta-analysis to evaluate the significance of systematic lymphadenectomy in patients treated with optimal cytoreduction for ovarian cancer.MethodThe PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases were searched up to October 2019. Only English-language publications of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the role of systematic lymphadenectomy in patients with ovarian cancer were selected for this analysis. For overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), pooled hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated; for complications rate, we calculated pooled risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using both the I2 and chi-square tests. In cases of I2 being larger than 50%, a random-effect model was used, otherwise a fixed-effect model was used.ResultsFour RCTs involving 1607 patients were included in the present analysis. There was no difference in OS between systematic lymphadenectomy and unsystematic lymphadenectomy (HR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.94, 1.07; p = 0.90). Similarly, no significant difference was observed in PFS between these two groups (HR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.87, 1.08; p = 0.62). And postoperative complications occurred more frequently in the systematic lymphadenectomy group (RR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.34, 1.68; p < 0.00001).ConclusionSystematic lymphadenectomy in patients with optimally cytoreduced ovarian cancer was not associated with longer overall or progression-free survival than unsystematic lymphadenectomy and was associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications.

Systematic lymphadenectomy for intermediate risk endometrial carcinoma treatment does not improve the oncological outcome.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the indication and performance of systematic lymphadenectomy (SL) in Stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC), at intermediate risk (FIGO IAG2/G3, IBG1/G2) on recurrence, disease-free survival (DFS) and survival.Study design194 women underwent hysterectomies by laparotomy, with SL (n = 95) or without SL (n = 99) between 1990 and 2014 was evaluated. Diagnosis period, age, BMI, comorbidities, stage, and adjuvant radiotherapy were analyzed. DFS and cancer-specific survival were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test, and recurrences by Cox regression.ResultsSL was performed in 93% (41/44) of women managed before 1998 and decreasing after that (p < 0.001). SL was also more frequent if BMI under 35.0 kg/m2 (p < 0.001) and in women without comorbidities (p = 0.017). Distribution of age, stage and postoperative radiotherapy were not different between groups. There were 14 recurrences (7.4%), concentrated in the SL group (12 cases) and associated with Stage IAG3 (35.7%, p = 0.009). Longitudinal evaluation exhibited 95% of 5-year cancer-specific survival rate for non-SL group vs. 88% for the SL group (p = 0.039), and DFS rate was 97% for the non-SL group vs. 85% for the SL group (p = 0.004). Cox regression analyses exhibited Stage IAG3 (HR 6.48, IC95% 1.88–22.39; p = 0.003) associated with less DFS.ConclusionSL in surgical staging of EEC at intermediate risk presented no benefits regarding recurrences, DFS, and cancer-specific survival rate when compared to patients not submitted to complete surgical staging. Stage IAG3 had poor prognosis regardless treatment modality. Our results provide further evidence to support the current trend to avoid SL in the surgical approach to selected women.

FA06.02: OPTIMAL EXTENT OF LYMPH NODE DISSECTION FOR ESOPHAGEAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

Abstract Background The possible presence of occult tumor dissemination is the rationale of radical systematic lymphadenectomy. Theoretically, the more extent of lymphadenectomy, the more similar survival outcomes between node-negative and node-positive patients. Accordingly, there will be a certain number of examined lymph nodes (NELN) for patients with only one tumor-positive lymph node that can equal their survival with the node-negative patients, and this cut-off point should be define the minimal requirement for an adequate extent of lymphadenectomy. The aim of this report was to determine the optimal number of examined lymph nodes (NELN) dissection for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by this novel method. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 589 ESCC patients from June 2011 and July 2012. Among them, 372 patients were pathologically confirmed with node-negative (N 0 + ), and 217 patients with only one tumor-positive lymph node (N 1 + ). Comparison of overall survival were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression hazard model was used for multivariate analysis to assess the independent influence of NELN on overall survival. Results The median survival for N 0 + and N 1 + patients was 32 versus 23 months (HR 1.61; 95% CI 22.86- 29.148; P = 0.000). Survival analyses revealed that the NELN positively correlated with overall survival (OS) both for patients with N 0- (P = 0.024) and N 1 + (P = 0.046), and an independent prognostic predictor only for N 0 + patients (hazard ratio 0.984; P = 0.032). When the cut-off point of NELN was set as a value less than 18, stratum analysis within the Kaplan–Meier method showed that NELN did not affect the results that N 1 + patients have a worse overall survival as compared with N 0 + patients (P &lt; 0.05). However, stratum analysis showed that no significant difference in OS was observed between N 1 + and N 0 + patients when the NELN was greater than 18. Conclusion The NELN should be considered a mandatory requirement for improving the OS of ESCC patients. The minimum of 18 lymph nodes removed for ESCC is rational and should be complied with. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Therapeutic role of systematic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic role of systematic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in patients with endometrial cancer. MethodsFrom December2003 to December2008, 349eligible patients who underwent surgical staging procedures at primary treatment were retrospectively analyzed: systematic lymphadenectomy group (n = 246) and no-lymphadenectomy group (n = 103). Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. ResultsOverall, patients who underwent lymphadenectomy improved 5-year disease-free survival (89.0% versus 80.7%, P = 0.019) and overall survival (92.8% versus 81.5%, P = 0.001) compared to those who did not undergo lymphadenectomy. Overall survival was not related to lymphadenectomy in 212low-risk patients (93.1% versus 84.6%, P = 0.176). However, this association was found in 137patients with intermediate and high-risk (86.2% versus 73.3%, P = 0.021). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that FIGO stage (P = 0.037) and lymphadenectomy (P = 0.023) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. ConclusionsSystematic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy has a potentially therapeutic role on survival in surgically staged patients with endometrial cancer.

Can non-performance of radical systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy be justified in elderly lung cancer patients? An evaluation using propensity-based survival analysis☆

The increasing age of the population has raised the importance of determining the minimally required surgical treatment for elderly lung cancer patients. Despite a number of previous studies, the therapeutic impact of a radical mediastinal lymphadenectomy (RLA) associated with a pulmonary resection for lung cancer remains controversial. Herein, we investigated the impact of lymph node dissection on the overall survival for elderly lung cancer patients and assessed whether the non-performance of an RLA could be justified in the surgical treatment for these elderly patients. We analysed the data for 160 patients aged 70 years and older (113 males, 47 females) who underwent curative-intent surgery for non-small-cell lung cancer. They were divided into two groups, according to the method used for the intra-operative mediastinal lymph node dissection, the radical systematic lymphadenectomy (RLA, n=76) and the non-radical lymphadenectomy (NLA, n=94) groups. A Cox proportional hazards model and the Kaplan-Meier method were used for the survival analyses. Propensity-based analyses were also used to reduce the effect of non-randomisation and possible bias in indication of treatment between the two groups. RLAs had no protective effect on mortality; the hazard ratio for the RLA group in comparison to the NLA group was 0.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.32-2.89) in the multivariate analysis and 1.43 (95% CI: 0.42-4.91) in the propensity-based stratifying analysis. The 3-year survival probability was 81.3% (95% CI: 67.1-89.8) for the NLA group, which was marginally better than that of the RLA group (77.5% (95% CI: 63.3-86.8)). There was no significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups (p=0.26). The 3-year survival probability of the NLA group at each quartile of the propensity score also tended to be better than that of the RLA group, which did not show any significant difference. There was no survival benefit shown for RLA associated with pulmonary resections in the present cohort, even in the propensity-based analyses. Although some reports recommend a systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy for proper staging and better survival, a pulmonary resection with non-performance of radical lymphadenectomy could be an acceptable surgical treatment for the increasing number of elderly lung cancer patients.

Role of systematic lymphadenectomy in postoperative mortality and morbidity in patients with gastric cancer

Surgical techniques and postoperative care for gastric cancer have significantly improved in recent years. However, whether postoperative morbidity and mortality rates after gastrectomy for gastric cancer have been reduced or not in recent years is still unclear. In this study we would like to point out the role of systematic lymphadenectomy in postoperative mortality and morbidity. In this investigation we analyzed two groups of patients. The first group of 126 patients with gastric carcinoma underwent peritumor lymphadenectomy DI. The second group of 114 patients with gastric carcinoma underwent more radical types of lymphadenectomy (D2, D2+, D3). In this study we analyzed differences between these two groups of patients in regard to. 1) early postoperative mortality, 2) early postoperative complications and 3) long-term postoperative complications. Early postoperative mortality rate was 4.76% in D1 group and 5.26% in group with systematic lymphadenectomy (SL). 14.3% of patients in D1 group and 15.7% of patients in SL group had postoperative complications. The most frequent complications in D1 group were non-surgical complications of the respiratory system. In SL group the most common postoperative complications were anastomotic leakage (5/18, 27.77%) and wound infection (6/18, 33.3%). The most common long-term complications in both groups were: ventral postoperative hernia, anemia, small bowel obstruction and gallbladder calculosis. Early postoperative death occurred in patients with stage IV gastric cancer. The rates of anastomotic leakage, as main cause of early postoperative mortality and morbitity in patients with systematic lymphadenectomy, were reduced in the last few years with stapling surgery. There were no significant differences in the postoperative mortality and morbidity rates between the two analyzed groups in our investigation.

Radical systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy in non-small cell lung cancer

The extent of lymphadenectomy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still a matter of controversy. While some centers perform mediastinal lymph node sampling (LS) with resection of only suspicious lymph nodes, others recommend a radical, systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy (LA) in order to improve survival and to achieve a better staging. Herein we report on the impact of LA on intra- and postoperative morbidity and mortality, on tumor staging and on the prognosis of patients with operable NSCLC in a controlled prospective randomized clinical trial comparing LS and LA in a total of 182 patients. Comparison of short-term results revealed a significantly longer operation time in the LA group, but overall-morbidity and mortality were comparable in both groups. However, there were LA-associated complications like prolonged air leak and hemorrhage. Regardless of the type of lymphadenectomy performed, the percentage of patients with pN1 or pN2 disease was very similar in both groups, indicating that systematic radical lymphadenectomy is not an essential prerequisite to determine the N stage of a patient. In contrast, the number of patients detected to have lymph node involvement at multiple levels was significantly increased by LA. In the LS group only 4 out of 23 patients (17.4%) with N2 disease were found to have more than one lymph node level involved, while LA results in the detection of excessive N2 disease in 12 out of 21 patients (57.2%, p=0.007). After a median follow-up of 26.8 months there was no significant influence of LA on local recurrence-free interval, metastasis-free interval, or cancer-related survival. Radical systematic lymphadenectomy is a safe operation and results in a more detailed staging of the N2 region. The prognostic benefit of LA is questionable.