Objective:To investigate the safety and prognostic value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery for advanced gastric cancer patients with para-aortic lymph node metastasis.Methods:Clinicopathological data of 25 patients admitted to the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Fujian Cancer Hospital from Jan 2015 to Jun 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated with SOX chemotherapy for 3 cycles. D 2 + paraaortic lymphadenectomy was performed in patients with stable disease (SD) . After operation, SOX regimen was used for 5 cycles of chemotherapy. Results:After 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, there were 2 cases with progressive disease, 6 cases of SD and 17 cases of partial remission. There was no treatment-related death. Twenty-three patients underwent surgery, including 19(76%) patients of R 0 resection. Tirty-four out of 128 para aortic lymph nodes were metastatic. Postoperative complications occurred in 5(22%) patients, with no mortality . The median progression free survival time and median overall survival time were 20 and 29 months respectively. The 1, 3-year overall survival rates were 80% and 48%, and the 1-year and 3-year progression free survival rates were 72% and 38%, respectively. For those with para-aortic lymph node metastasis the 1-year and 3-year OS rate were 70% and 17%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was an independent prognostic factor. Conclusion:Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is among others an independent prognostic factor affecting the post-op survival of advanced gastric carcinoma with para-aortic lymph node metastasis.