Staging laparoscopy for advanced gastric cancer: significance of preoperative clinicopathological factors.

PURPOSE: Although the use of staging laparoscopy (SL) for detecting peritoneal metastasis (P) and determining peritoneal lavage cytology (CY) is widespread in advanced gastric cancer, an indication for SL based on preoperative clinicopathological factors is controversial.

METHODS: From May 2006 to September 2015, 120 patients with advanced gastric cancer with primary tumors ≥5 cm and/or with bulky regional lymph nodes (bulky N) underwent SL for assessment of P/CY status. Clinicopathological factors were analyzed retrospectively to determine their influence on peritoneal spread (P1 and/or CY1). An additional analysis of 379 consecutive patients with clinically T2 or deeper gastric cancer in the same time period was carried out to confirm the SL results.

RESULTS: Peritoneal spread was confirmed by SL in 54 cases (45%). The presence of type-4 tumors (n = 38, p < 0.0001) and diffuse-type tumors (n = 85, p = 0.04) correlated significantly with peritoneal spread. These two factors were also correlated significantly with increased peritoneal spread in a subgroup analysis among patients with tumors with bulky N (n = 44). The additional analysis of 379 patients showed results consistent with the SL results. The frequency of peritoneal spread was 78% among type-4 tumors, 47% among diffuse-type tumors ≥5 cm, and 38% among diffuse-type tumors with bulky N, whereas among intestinal-type tumors, it was 18% in tumors ≥5 cm and 13% among tumors with bulky N.

CONCLUSIONS: Among tumors ≥5 cm or with bulky N, type-4 tumors and diffuse-type tumors had a high potential for peritoneal spread and patients with such tumors were considered more suitable candidates for SL.