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Su1833 Nodal Counts and Lymph Node Ratio Impact Survival After Distal Pancreatectomy for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Abstract and Figures
Background:
The number of lymph nodes required for accurate staging after distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma is unknown.
Methods:
The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify 1,473 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma from 1998 to 2010. We evaluated the influence of the total number of lymph nodes examined (NNE) and the lymph node ratio (LNR-positive nodes/total nodes examined) on survival.
Results:
The median NNE was 8. No nodes were examined in 232 (16%) of the patients, and 843 (57%) had <10 NNE. Of the patients who had at least one node examined, 612 (49%) were node positive. In the node-negative subset, the median and 5-year overall survival for patients with ≤10 NNE was significantly worse than patients with >10 NNE (16 vs. 20 months and 13 vs. 19%, respectively, p < 0.011). For node-positive patients, those with LNR ≤0.1 had better 5-year overall survival compared with LNR >0.1 (17 vs. 6%, p = 0.002).
Discussion:
Patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing distal pancreatectomy should ideally have at least 11 lymph nodes examined to avoid understaging. For node-positive patients, LNR may be a better prognostic indicator than the total number of positive nodes.
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... Accurate staging determined with LN status guides postoperative adjuvant treatment strategy [4]. In addition, the number of examined lymph nodes (ELNs) reflects survival; more ELN is associated with prolonged survival with or without the presence of metastatic lymph nodes [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Therefore, sufficient lymphadenectomy during surgery may improve pancreatic cancer survival without considering tumor localization. ...
... Sufficient lymphadenectomy provides accurate nodal staging and prevents stage migration [4,8]. Higher lymph node ratio (i.e., the count of metastatic LN divided by the total count of ELN) indicates a poor prognosis for PC [4][5][6][7][8][9] as well as other gastrointestinal malignancies such as gastric [15] and colorectal [16] carcinoma. Patients with more ELNs also have a better prognosis with or without the presence of metastatic LNs [4][5][6][7][8][9]. ...
... Higher lymph node ratio (i.e., the count of metastatic LN divided by the total count of ELN) indicates a poor prognosis for PC [4][5][6][7][8][9] as well as other gastrointestinal malignancies such as gastric [15] and colorectal [16] carcinoma. Patients with more ELNs also have a better prognosis with or without the presence of metastatic LNs [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Huebner et al. [4] found that patients with >11 ELNs had better overall survival than those with <11 (HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.1-1.7; ...
Background/Aim: One of the important prognostic factors for pancreatic cancer is the count of examined lymph nodes (ELN). The ratio of metastatic to ELNs reflects survival and is required for accurate staging. The survival effect of the count of ELNs in patients with an absence of metastatic lymph nodes is unclear. However, the single-center survival outcomes related to higher ELN count based on only lymph node negative-patients are limited to a few studies with controversial results. We aimed to present the single-center experience in survival outcomes based on ELN count in patients with lymph node-negative pancreatic head cancer after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Methods: The data of 129 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer from October 2011-December 2021 were analyzed. Among them, those who had metastatic lymph nodes, those who died from non-PC causes, died in the first 90 days postoperatively, or had missing follow-up data were excluded. Finally, 37 patients with negative lymph nodes who satisfied our criteria were included. The cut-off value for the examined lymph node count was 15, according to the minimum LN count recommended by the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery and the European Society for Medical Oncology for accurate staging. Thus, node-negative patients were divided into ELN
... For optimal node staging, it is important to harvest sufficient lymph nodes during surgery; however, in this study, a relatively low number of lymph nodes was harvested in patients with stage IB or II. In patients with pancreatic cancer, it has been recommended that at least 11-17 Lymph nodes be examined to provide accurate nodal staging [11,12]. However, less than 11 Lymph nodes were harvested in 28 (62.2%) of 45 patients with stage IB or II from this study; this result suggests that the stage of a significant portion of patients with stage IB or II might have been underestimated. ...
Background:
Owing to rarity of disease and lack of prospective studies, data supporting the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in ampulla of Vater (AoV) carcinoma is limited.
Aim:
To evaluate whether adjuvant chemotherapy cases for AoV carcinoma had better disease-free survival (DFS) rates than cases of observation following curative surgery.
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed the association between adjuvant chemotherapy and DFS and overall survival (OS) in patients with stage IB-III AoV carcinoma who underwent curative surgical resection. Fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy was administered after surgery at the discretion of the physician. Adjusted multivariate regression models were used to evaluate the association between adjuvant chemotherapy and survival outcomes.
Results:
Of the total 104 patients who underwent curative surgery, 52 received adjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis revealed that higher histologic grade [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.24, P = 0.046], advanced tumor stage (HR = 1.85, P = 0.030), and vascular invasion (HR = 2.14, P = 0.010) were associated with shorter DFS. Adjuvant chemotherapy improved DFS compared to the observation group (HR = 0.50, P = 0.015) and tended to be associated with a longer OS, although the difference was not statistically significant (HR = 0.58, P = 0.098).
Conclusion:
Among patients with resected AoV carcinoma, the adjuvant chemotherapy group was not associated with a significant survival benefit compared to the observation group. However, on multivariate analysis adjusting for prognostic factors, adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery was an independent prognostic factor for DFS in patients with resected AoV carcinoma. Further studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy according to histologic phenotype.
... To date, there is no consensus on the recommendations for minimum ELN numbers in pancreatic cancer patients. Several retrospective analyses have attempted to establish a standard, with recommendations for minimum ELN varying widely from 11 to 17 (33,(35)(36)(37). ...
Background
The prognostic performance of four lymph node classifications, the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) N stage, lymph node ratio (LNR), log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS), and examined lymph nodes (ELN) in early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) remains unclear.
Methods
The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was searched for patients with EOPC from 2004 to 2016. 1048 patients were randomly divided into training (n = 733) and validation sets (n = 315). The predictive abilities of the four lymph node staging systems were compared using the Akaike information criteria (AIC), receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC), and C-index. Multivariate Cox analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors. A nomogram based on lymph node classification with the strongest predictive ability was established. The nomogram’s precision was verified by the C-index, calibration curves, and AUC. Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank tests were used to compare differences in survival at each stage of the nomogram.
Results
Compared with the 8th N stage, LODDS, and ELN, LNR had the highest C-index and AUC and the lowest AIC. Multivariate analysis showed that N stage, LODDS, LNR were independent risk factors associated with cancer specific survival (CSS), but not ELN. In the training set, the AUC values for the 1-, 3-, and 5-year CSS of the nomogram were 0.663, 0.728, and 0.760, respectively and similar results were observed in the validation set. In addition, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that the nomogram was also an important factor in the risk stratification of EOPC.
Conclusion
We analyzed the predictive power of the four lymph node staging systems and found that LNR had the strongest predictive ability. Furthermore, the novel nomogram prognostic staging mode based on LNR was also an important factor in the risk stratification of EOPC.
... Previous studies based on SEER database evaluated the association between lymph nodes count and prognosis in different malignant tumor, such as non-small cell lung cancer, male breast cancer, and colon cancer [16,[20][21][22][23]. Therefore, it's feasible to use SEER data to confirm that lymph nodes count could affect the prognosis of ESCC with pathological stage T1-3N0M0. ...
Abstract Background The postoperative survival effect of the number of examined lymph nodes on patients of R0-resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with pathological stage T1–3N0M0 is still unclear. Methods Patients diagnosed with pathological stage T1–3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from two cancer databases—our cancer center (N = 707), and Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (N = 151). The primary clinical endpoint was overall survival. The X-tile software was used to determine the optimal cutoff value of the number of examined lymph nodes, and propensity score matching was conducted to reduce selection bias according to the results of X-tile software. The cohort of 151 patients from another database was used for validation. Results X-tile software provided an optimal cutoff value of 15 examined lymph nodes based on 707 patients, and 231 pairs of matched patients were included. In the unmatched cohort, Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed better overall survival in patients with more than 15 examined lymph nodes (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.566, 95% confidence interval, 0.445–0.720; p 30 is better than those with examined lymph nodes 15–30. We believe that the number of examined lymph nodes can provide prognostic guidance for those patients, and the more examined lymph nodes cause lesser occult lymph nodes metastasis and lead to a better prognosis. Therefore, surgeons and pathologists should try to examine as many lymph nodes as possible to evaluate the pathological stage precisely. However, we need more validation from other studies.
There has been a long-standing controversy regarding the number of lymph nodes (LNs) examined intraoperatively for accurate lymphatic staging and significantly better survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and no consensus has been reached for the elderly with the age of over 75 years. Given these, the present study aims to investigate the appropriate number of examined lymph nodes (ELNs) for elderly patients mentioned above. In this study, population-based data on 20,125 patients in 2000 to 2019 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were reviewed retrospectively. The eighth edition staging system of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) was applied. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce the effects of multiple biases. By using binomial probability law and maximally selected rank statistics, the minimum number of ELN (MNELN) for accurate nodal involvement assessment and optimal ELN number for significantly better survival were calculated, respectively. In addition, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard regression models were constructed for further survival analysis. As a result, 6623 patients were enrolled in total in the study. Elderly patients had fewer lymph node metastases and a smaller lymph node ratio (LNR) (all P<0.05). However, poorer overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of elderly patients were observed in each pN stage (all P<0.05), except for CSS in N2. The proportions of N2 and N0 stages increased and decreased respectively with increasing number of ELN significantly. MNELN for accurate nodal assessment was 19 according to binomial probability law, and the optimal ELN number for significantly better survival was 17. Additionally, the number of ELN (<17 or ≥17) was also considered a strong prognostic predictor for elderly PDAC patients (≥75 years) in the Cox proportional hazard regression model (Overall survival: hazard ratio [HR]=0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65-0.83, P<0.001; Cancer-specific survival: HR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.66-0.85, P<0.001). In conclusion, extended lymphadenectomy is suitable for elderly PDAC patients undergoing curative-intent surgery owing to an accurate assessment of nodal status and improved long-term prognosis. However, a random, prospective clinical trial is warranted before the recommendation of extended lymphadenectomy for the elderly.
Objective:
To assess the frequency of occult metastases (OM) in patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) or ampullary adenocarcinoma (AA) discovered on detailed pathologic examination on lymph nodes (LN) previously considered negative by conventional analysis, and to examine the association between OM and overall survival (OS).
Summary of background data:
Poor prognosis of patients with no pathologic evidence of LN metastases may be due to OM that are not detected on conventional LN analysis.
Methods:
Patients with LN-negative resected PDAC or AA (2010-2020) were identified from our institutional database. Original hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) slides were re-analyzed. In addition, selected LN were analyzed by H&E (3 sections/LN) and pan-cytokeratin (AE1-AE3/PCK26) immunohistochemistry.
Results:
A total of 598 LNs from 74 LN-negative patients were re-examined. Nineteen patients (25.7%) had OM; 9 (47.4%) were found with immunohistochemistry but not on H&E. The number of positive LNs ranged from 1-3. No clinicodemographic, pathologic, or treatment-related factors were associated with OM. On conventional LN analysis, 3/19 patients (15.8%) had stage IA, 9/19 (26.5%) had stage IB, and 7/19 (36.8%) had stage IIA. On detailed LN analysis, 11/19 patients (57.9%) were upstaged to IIB, while 8/19 (42.1%) had isolated tumor cells only (N0i+). OM was associated with shorter OS (median OS: 22.3 vs. 50.5 mo; HR=3.95, 95% CI: 1.58-9.86).
Conclusions:
There is a 26% discordance rate between conventional and detailed LN pathologic analysis in resected PDAC and AA. The presence of OM is associated with shorter OS.
Background
The preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is essential in prognosis and treatment strategy formulation.
Purpose
To compare the performance of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics models for the preoperative prediction of LNM in PDAC.
Material and Methods
In total, 160 consecutive patients with PDAC were retrospectively included, who were divided into the training and validation sets (ratio of 8:2). Two radiologists evaluated LNM basing on morphological abnormalities. Radiomics features were extracted from T2-weighted imaging, T1-weighted imaging, and multiphase contrast enhanced MRI and multiphase CT, respectively. Overall, 1184 radiomics features were extracted from each volume of interest drawn. Only features with an intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.75 were included. Three sequential feature selection steps—variance threshold, variance thresholding and least absolute shrinkage selection operator—were repeated 20 times with fivefold cross-validation in the training set. Two radiomics models based on multiphase CT and multiparametric MRI were built with the five most frequent features. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) values.
Results
Multiparametric MRI radiomics model achieved improved AUCs (0.791 and 0.786 in the training and validation sets, respectively) than that of the CT radiomics model (0.672 and 0.655 in the training and validation sets, respectively) and of the radiologists’ assessment (0.600–0.613 and 0.560–0.587 in the training and validation sets, respectively).
Conclusion
Multiparametric MRI radiomics model may serve as a potential tool for preoperatively evaluating LNM in PDAC and had superior predictive performance to multiphase CT-based model and radiologists’ assessment.
Introduction
The lymph node yield (LNY) and lymph node ratio (LNR) of nodal metastases following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) have been reported as prognostic parameters in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, they have not been compared in the setting of various neoadjuvant therapy modalities.
Methods
A single institutional retrospective study identified 134 patients diagnosed with resectable, BLR- and LA-PDAC who underwent PD at Fox Chase Cancer Center between 2010 and 2019. Patients were categorized based on first-line treatment as follows: surgery first (SF), total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT), and single modality neoadjuvant therapy (SMNT). The histopathological reports of the surgical specimens were examined to obtain LNY and determine the counts of lymph nodes with metastases. Subsequently, LNR was calculated as the number of positive lymph nodes divided by the number of lymph nodes examined.
Results
Overall, 49, 38, 27, 12, and 8 patients underwent SF approach, SMNT, incomplete TNT, induction TNT, and consolidation TNT, respectively. There was no difference in R0 resection and vascular resection between the groups (P = 0.096 and 0.794, respectively). The median counts of LNY were 22, 15, 21, 11.5, and 10, respectively (P < 0.001). The average LNR was 0.16, 0.07, 0.03, 0.02, and 0.02, respectively (P < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences in overall survival in the TNT groups (log-rank test P = 0.030).
Conclusions
PDAC patients who undergo the TNT modality exhibit lower LNY and improved LNR compared with the SF approach and SMNT neoadjuvant therapy groups. This is likely explained by the increased treatment response and lymph node obliteration associated with the TNT approach. Our results question the minimal requirement of 11-18 harvested lymph nodes for PD following TNT.
Background:
Patients with ductal adenocarcinoma of the body and tail of the pancreas usually remain asymptomatic until late in the course of the disease, and the survival of such patients depends on multiple factors, which may affect the therapeutic approach and patient survival. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate such risk factors by pooling various available studies.
Methods:
A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2016, using the following databases: Medline, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Studies were selected according to the predesigned eligibility criteria, and information was extracted for demographics, clinical features, and survival outcomes. Data were pooled using fixed- or random-effects models.
Results:
Sixteen studies were included (5,660 patients) with a median age of 64.8 years and a median survival of 28.5 (range 13-38) months. Identified significant factors for overall survival were higher age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.211), men (HR = 1.182), presence of lymph node metastasis (HR = 1.964), multivisceral resection (HR = 1.947), N stage (1 versus 0; HR = 1.601), surgical margin (R0 versus No R0; HR = 0.519) and tumor size (>3 cm; HR = 1.890).
Conclusion:
The pooled results of this study revealed several risk factors for overall survival in patients with left-sided pancreatic cancer.
Background:
For patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer, the poor outcome associated with resection alone and the survival advantage demonstrated for combined-modality therapy have stimulated interest in preoperative chemoradiotherapy. The goal of this study was to analyze the effects of different preoperative chemoradiotherapy schedules, intraoperative radiation therapy, patient factors. and histopathologic variables on survival duration and patterns of treatment failure in patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head.
Methods:
Data on 132 consecutive patients who received preoperative chemoradiation followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head between June 1990 and June 1999 were retrieved from a prospective pancreatic tumor database. Patients received either 45.0 or 50.4 Gy radiation at 1.8 Gy per fraction in 28 fractions or 30.0 Gy at 3.0 Gy per fraction in 10 fractions with concomitant infusional chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, or gemcitabine). If restaging studies demonstrated no evidence of disease progression, patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. All patients were evaluated with serial postoperative computed tomography scans to document first sites of tumor recurrence.
Results:
The overall median survival from the time of tissue diagnosis was 21 months (range 19-26, 95%CI). At last follow-up, 41 patients (31%) were alive with no clinical or radiographic evidence of disease. The survival duration was superior for women (P = .04) and for patients with no evidence of lymph node metastasis (P = .03). There was no difference in survival duration associated with patient age, dose of preoperative radiation therapy, the delivery of intraoperative radiotherapy, tumor grade, tumor size, retroperitoneal margin status, or the histologic grade of chemoradiation treatment effect.
Conclusion:
This analysis supports prior studies which suggest that the survival duration of patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer is maximized by the combination of chemoradiation and pancreaticoduodenectomy. Furthermore, there was no difference in survival duration between patients who received the less toxic rapid-fractionation chemoradiotherapy schedule (30 Gy, 2 weeks) and those who received standard-fractionation chemoradiotherapy (50.4 Gy, 5.5 weeks). Short-course rapid-fractionation preoperative chemoradiotherapy combined with pancreaticoduodenectomy, when performed on accurately staged patients, maximizes survival duration and is associated with a low incidence of local tumor recurrence.
Purpose: The benefit of pelvic lymphadenectomy in patients with bladder cancer remains controversial. We analyzed the impact of lymphadenectomy on disease specific survival in a population based sample of patients with bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy. Materials and Methods: Analysis included data on 1,923 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between 1988 and 1996 obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program cancer registry. We analyzed the impact of the number of lymph nodes examined, number of positive lymph nodes and ratio of positive-to-total number of lymph nodes resected on disease specific and overall survival independent of patient age, gender, stage, race, radiation and chemotherapy. Results: Median followup in cystectomy cases was 63.5 months (range 0 to 131). Patients with 0 to 3 lymph nodes examined were at significantly higher risk of death from bladder cancer than those with greater than 3 (HR 1 to 1.2 versus 0.41 to 0.58). Patients with stages I/in situ, III and IV disease benefited from more extensive lymphadenectomy. In stage IV cases, while the total number of positive lymph nodes removed did not correlate with increased survival, the proportion of excised lymph nodes positive for metastatic bladder cancer tended to correlate with the risk of death from the disease. Conclusions: These results indicate significantly increased survival rates after cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer diagnosed with stages III or IV disease who have relatively more lymph nodes examined, suggesting that even some with higher stage disease may benefit from extended pelvic lymphadenectomy at cystectomy.
Background:For patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer, the poor outcome associated with resection alone and the survival advantage demonstrated for combined-modality therapy have stimulated interest in preoperative chemoradiotherapy. The goal of this study was to analyze the effects of different preoperative chemoradiotherapy schedules, intraoperative radiation therapy, patient factors, and histopathologic variables on survival duration and patterns of treatment failure in patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head. Methods:Data on 132 consecutive patients who received preoperative chemoradiation followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head between June 1990 and June 1999 were retrieved from a prospective pancreatic tumor database. Patients received either 45.0 or 50.4 Gy radiation at 1.8 Gy per fraction in 28 fractions or 30.0 Gy at 3.0 Gy per fraction in 10 fractions with concomitant infusional chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, or gemcitabine). If restaging studies demonstrated no evidence of disease progression, patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. All patients were evaluated with serial postoperative computed tomography scans to document first sites of tumor recurrence. Results:The overall median survival from the time of tissue diagnosis was 21 months (range 19–26, 95%CI). At last follow-up, 41 patients (31%) were alive with no clinical or radiographic evidence of disease. The survival duration was superior for women (P = .04) and for patients with no evidence of lymph node metastasis (P = .03). There was no difference in survival duration associated with patient age, dose of preoperative radiation therapy, the delivery of intraoperative radiotherapy, tumor grade, tumor size, retroperitoneal margin status, or the histologic grade of chemoradiation treatment effect. Conclusion:This analysis supports prior studies which suggest that the survival duration of patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer is maximized by the combination of chemoradiation and pancreaticoduodenectomy. Furthermore, there was no difference in survival duration between patients who received the less toxic rapid-fractionation chemoradiotherapy schedule (30 Gy, 2 weeks) and those who received standard-fractionation chemoradiotherapy (50.4 Gy, 5.5 weeks). Short-course rapid-fractionation preoperative chemoradiotherapy combined with pancreaticoduodenectomy, when performed on accurately staged patients, maximizes survival duration and is associated with a low incidence of local tumor recurrence.
Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths that will occur in the United States in the current year and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival. Incidence data were collected by the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and mortality data were collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. A total of 1,665,540 new cancer cases and 585,720 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States in 2014. During the most recent 5 years for which there are data (2006-2010), delay-adjusted cancer incidence rates declined slightly in men (by 0.6% per year) and were stable in women, while cancer death rates decreased by 1.8% per year in men and by 1.4% per year in women. The combined cancer death rate (deaths per 100,000 population) has been continuously declining for 2 decades, from a peak of 215.1 in 1991 to 171.8 in 2010. This 20% decline translates to the avoidance of approximately 1,340,400 cancer deaths (952,700 among men and 387,700 among women) during this time period. The magnitude of the decline in cancer death rates from 1991 to 2010 varies substantially by age, race, and sex, ranging from no decline among white women aged 80 years and older to a 55% decline among black men aged 40 years to 49 years. Notably, black men experienced the largest drop within every 10-year age group. Further progress can be accelerated by applying existing cancer control knowledge across all segments of the population. CA Cancer J Clin 2014. (©) 2014 American Cancer Society, Inc.
Survival data of patients with pancreatic carcinoma are often overestimated because of incomplete follow-up. Therefore, the aim of this study was to approach complete follow-up and to analyse survival and prognostic factors of patients who underwent surgical treatment for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Between 1992 and 2002, 343 patients underwent surgical treatment for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. One hundred and sixty patients underwent a resection with a curative intention and 183 patients underwent bypass surgery for palliation. Follow-up was complete for 93% of patients. Median survival after resection and bypass was 17.0 and 7.5 months, and 5-year survival was 8% and 0, respectively. In multivariate analysis, tumour-positive lymph nodes, non-radical surgery, poor tumour differentiation, and tumour size were independent prognostic factors for survival after resection. For patients treated with bypass surgery, metastatic disease and tumour size independently predicted survival. In conclusion, actual survival of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma is disappointing compared with the actuarial survival rates reported in the literature. The independent prognostic factors for survival of patients who underwent surgical treatment for pancreatic adenocarcinoma are tumour-related.
Introduction:
We evaluated the prognostic accuracy of LN variables (N0/N1), numbers of positive lymph nodes (PLN), and lymph node ratio (LNR) in the context of the total number of examined lymph nodes (ELN).
Methods:
Patients from SEER and a single institution (MGH) were reviewed and survival analyses performed in subgroups based on numbers of ELN to calculate excess risk of death (hazard ratio, HR).
Results:
In SEER and MGH, higher numbers of ELN improved the overall survival for N0 patients. The prognostic significance (N0/N1) and PLN were too variable as the importance of a single PLN depended on the total number of LN dissected. LNR consistently correlated with survival once a certain number of lymph nodes were dissected (≥13 in SEER and ≥17 in the MGH dataset).
Conclusions:
Better survival for N0 patients with increasing ELN likely represents improved staging. PLN have some predictive value but the ELN strongly influence their impact on survival, suggesting the need for a ratio-based classification. LNR strongly correlates with outcome provided that a certain number of lymph nodes is evaluated, suggesting that the prognostic accuracy of any LN variable depends on the total number of ELN.
The impact of the number of lymph node (LN) evaluated pathologically on accurate staging is unknown. Our primary aim was to determine a minimum number of evaluated LN needed to provide accurate staging of pancreatic cancer.
Four hundred ninety-nine patients underwent a curative pancreatectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma cancer from 1981-2007. The probability of understaging a patient as N0 was estimated based on the number of LN evaluated. The prognostic value of LN ratio (LNR) was assessed.
Survival for node-negative (pN0) patients with <11 LN examined was worse than for pN0 patients with ≥11 LNs with a hazard ratio (95 % CI) of 1.33 (1.1-1.7, p = 0.01) with 3-year survivals of 32 vs. 50%, respectively. Three-year survival for pN1 patients with <11 nodes evaluated was similar to pN1 patients with ≥11 nodes (25 vs. 30%). LNR ≥ 0.17 predicted worse survival with hazard ratio of 1.76 (1.3-2.4, p = 0.001) than LNR < 0.17; 3-year survivals were 37 vs. 19%.
Patients with "N0" disease with <11 LN evaluated pathologically have worse survival, suggesting that metastatic nodes were missed by evaluating too few nodes. For pN1 patients, LNR stratifies survival of patient cohorts more accurately. Adequate staging of pancreatic cancer requires pathologic evaluation of ≥11 LNs.