Routine modified D2 lymphadenectomy performance in pT1-T2N0 gastric cancer

AIM： To evaluate routine modified D2 lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer, based on immunohistochemicaUy detected skip micrometastases in level 11 lymph nodes. METHODS： Among 95 gastric cancer patients who were routinely submitted to curative modified D2 lymphadenectomy, from January 2004 to December 2008, 32 were classified as pN0. All level I lymph nodes of these 32 patients were submitted to immunohistochemistry for micrometastases detection. Patients in whom micrometastases were detected in the level Ⅰ lymph node stations （n = 4） were excluded from further analysis. The level 11 lymph nodes of the remaining 28 patients were studied immunohistochemically for micrometastases detection and constitute the material of the present study. RESULTS： Skip micrometastases in the level Ⅱ lymph nodes were detected in 14% （4 out of 28） of the patients. The incidence was further increased to 17% （4 out of 24） in the subgroup of T1-2 gastric cancer patients. All micrometastases were detected in the No. 7 lymph node station. Thus, the disease was upstaged from stage Ⅰ A to Ⅰ B in one patient and from stage Ⅰ B to Ⅱ in three patients. CONCLUSION： In gastric cancer, true R0 resection may not be achieved without modified D2 lymphadenectomy. Until D2＋/D3 lymphadenectomy becomes standard, modified D2 lymphadenectomy should be performed routinely.