1Cancer Research Institute, Korea. 2Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Taegu, Korea. 3Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Taegu, Korea.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We analyzed the appropriateness of the changes regarding the classification of gastric cancer in the fifth edition of the UICC TNMclassification of malignant tumors.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gastrectomy was performed in 727 patients with gastric cancer between 1990 and 1994. The pN, pM and stage of each patient was reclassified according to the 5th edition. The previous and present pN, pM and stage of each patient were compared.
RESULTS: Although ten cases of pNO were reclassified as pNX because the number of dissected regional lymph nodes was less than 15, there revealed a good correlation between old and new pN classification. Survival distribution according to the old pN classification identified significant differences among subgroups of patients. And this was true for the new pN classification. Nine pM1 patients who had involved hepatoduodenal lymph node were reclassified into pMO. Although 97 patients were down-staged and 30 patients were up-staged, comparison of stage according to two classifications revealed good correlation. Both survival distributions according to the new and old stage grouping identified significant differences among subgroups of patients.
CONCLUSION: The classification of lymph node metastasis and stage grouping in gastric cancer should be more scientific and rational in future revisions.
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