Metastasis of Nodes Along the Common Hepatic Artery and Significance of its Dissection in Gastric Cancer

The purpose of this study was to clarify retrospectively the relevance of dissection of lymph node along the common hepatic artery (No.8) to prognosis in gastric cancer. Among 712 patients with advanced gastric cancer, the characteristics of patients with metastasis to No.8 were investigated. The curative resection rate and the recurrence rate were also determined in patients with No.8 metastasis. Then we discussed whether No.8 dissection was appropriate for the standard (D2) operation in gastric cancer. Metastasis to No.8 was observed in 100 (14.0%) patients. Though No.8 metastasis was frequently accompanied by No.3 or No.6 metastasis, No.3 or No 6 metastasis was rarely accompanied by No.8 metastasis. No.8 metastasis had no relation to metastasis to peri-gastric nodes. No.8 without metastasis was dissected in many patients. Among 52 patients with curative resection among patients with No.8 metastasis, only 13 (1.8% of the total patients and 2.5% of the patients with curative operation) were alive without recurrence five years after the operation. Therefore, very few patients benefited from the dissection of No.8. The dissection of No.8 may be excluded from the standard operation in gastric cancer.