PURPOSE: One of the most controversial aspects of surgery for esophageal cancer is the appropriate extent of lymphadenectomy to achieve the best outcome. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of an extended lymphadenectomy (complete 2-field lymphadenectomy; complete 2-FL or 3-field lymphadenectomy; 3-FL) in esophageal cancer surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to prevent a local recurrence and improve the long-term survival following surgery, an extended lymphadenectomy has systematically been performed at four hospitals of the Catholic University College of Medicine since 1995. And since that time, until the end of 2001, a total of 98 patients have undergone the procedure. Their clinical results were compared with those of 54 esophageal cancer patients who received an incomplete 2-field lymphadenectomy (incomplete 2-FL), between 1990 and 1994, at the same hospitals. RESULTS: After an extended lymphadenectomy a recurrence was noted in 41 cases (44.6%), a local recurrence occurred in 23 cases (25.0%) and a metastatic recurrence in 18 (19.6%), with the 5-year survival rate improved to 39.5%, than the 29% of the incomplete 2-FL. There was no difference in the morbidity of the fatal complications and the mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The long survival rate was improved with an extended lymphadenectomy, but the morbidity and mortality rate had not increased.
Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Mortality ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and safety of laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) with lymph node dissection for gastric cancer according to the analysis of postoperative complications. METHODS: The authors attempted LAG with lymph node dissection in 117 consecutive patients with gastric cancer. The clinicopathologic characteristics of the patients, operative outcomes, preoperative comorbidities and postoperative morbidities and mortalities were evaluated using the stomach cancer database of Dong-A university hospital and medical charts. RESULTS: Among the 114 successful patients, 100 had early gastric cancer and 14 had advanced gastric cancer. The mean operation time was 259.2 minutes (range 150~415). The mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 23.4 (range 6~66). The mean time to the first flatus and postoperative hospital stay were 3.7 and 10.0 days, respectively. The overall operative mortality rate, hospital death rate and the overall rate of postoperative complications were 0, 1.7 and 14.7%, respectively. The major and minor complication rate were 4.3 and 10.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: LAG with lymph node dissection is technically feasible and receptive as surgical treatment for patients with gastric cancer, although various postoperative complications can arise in LAG as they do in open gastrectomy.
Comorbidity ; Flatulence ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Lymph Nodes* ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: With the increase in the average life expectancy, the elderly population continues to increase rapidly. However, no consensus has been reached on the feasibility for surgical resection due to the high morbidity and mortality rate after surgical treatment in elderly patients caused by aging and underlying diseases. METHODS: This study was performed with patients aged 80 years and older. The subjects were classified into 2 groups as follows: the surgical resection group consisting of 61 patients, and the conservative treatment group consisting of 39 patients suitable for curative resection. RESULTS: Mean age and clinical stages in the conservative treatment group were higher than those in the surgical resection group. There was no significant difference in sex, location of the lesion, histological type, or underlying disease. The mean survival time of surgical resection group and conservative treatment group was respectively 52.1 ± 2.66 months and 37.1 ± 5.08 months (P < 0.05) for clinical stage 1 disease, 41.7 ± 5.16 months and 22.4 ± 6.07 months (P = 0.004) for stage 2 disease, and 31.7 ± 9.37 months and 10.6 ± 1.80 months (P = 0.049) for stage 3 disease. However, as for the extent of lymph node resection for the different stages, we observed no significant difference between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Surgical resection in all clinical stages, except stage 4, showed a higher survival rate than conservative treatment. To minimize postoperative surgery complications, limited lymph node dissection should also be considered.
Aged ; Aging ; Consensus ; Humans ; Life Expectancy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Mortality ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: Esophageal surgery in esophageal cancer has low curative resection rate and its resut has not improved even after the extended lymphnode dissection. To evaluate the effectiveness of cervical lymph node dissection, we compare the node of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients esophageal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied a series of 32 patients who underwent operation for thoracic esophageal carcinoma at our institution. The 25 patient who underwent curative surgery were divided into two groups. Both groups A and B underwent transthoracic esophagectomies with mediastinal and abdominal lymphadenectomies only, but group B also underwent bilateral lower neck node dissection. RESULTS: The rate of operative complications did not differ significantly between two groups. No operative and hospital mortalities were noted in either group. However, the mean anesthetic time was significantly longer in group B (mean: 90 minutes). Neck node metastasis was revealed in 27% of group B. CONCLUSIONS: Therfore, neck node dissection is meaningful for surgical treatment of the thoracic esophageal carcinoma. The longterm survival rate should be compared later.
Esophageal Neoplasms ; Esophagectomy ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Survival Rate

The necessity for routine prophylactic nasogastric tube decompression after a gastrectomy is still in controversy. Several reports have indicated that nasogastric tube decompression is unnecessary and that the tube may even be harmful with serious discomforts. A D2 gastrectomy (which means a D2 lymph node dissection during gastric cancer surgery) for a gastric carcinoma is an extensively destructive procedure which takes a longer operation time than a conventional gastrectomy, destroys both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve fibers in the upper retroperitoneum, and may interfere with the gastrointestinal motility after the operation. Therefore, we have carried out a retrospective study with 206 gastrectomized gastric-cancer patients to evaluate the necessity of nasogastric tube decompression and whether the tube influences the gas-passing time, the morbidity, and mortality after operation.
Decompression ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Mortality ; Nerve Fibers ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms

Uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) behave more aggressively than other endometrial carcinomas and have a propensity for intraabdominal spread, simulating the behavior of ovarian carcinoma. Because of high relapsing rate, and high mortality rate of UPSC, many gynecologist studied about its treatment regimen and recommended many treatment method. Many investigators recommended that patients with UPSC should undergo a staging laparotomy and they suggested the surgery should include at least total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy, paraaortic lymphadenectomy, peritoneal washing and peritoneal cytology, By and large, adjuvant systemic Platinum based chemotherapy or, paclitaxel based chemotherapy and adjuvant whole abdominal irradiation or pelvic irradiation was prescribed. We experienced two cases of the UPSC stage IIIc and stage IV diagnosed after explolaparotomy. We present these cases and review the literatures about the optimal treatment regimen of UPSC.
Drug Therapy ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Laparotomy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Mortality ; Paclitaxel ; Platinum ; Research Personnel

Recently, there has been controversy about the relationship between the number of lymph nodes removed and survival of patients diagnosed with lymph node-negative breast cancer. To assess this relationship, 603 cases of lymph node-negative breast cancer with a median of 126 months of follow-up data were studied. Patients were stratified into two groups (Group A, 10 or fewer tumor-free lymph nodes removed; Group B, more than 10 tumor-free lymph nodes removed). The number of tumor-free lymph nodes in ipsilateral axillary resections as well as 5 other disease parameters were analyzed for prognostic value. Our results revealed that the risk of death from breast cancer was significantly associated with patient age, marital status, histologic grade, tumor size, and adjuvant therapy. The 5- and 10-year survival rates for patients with 10 or fewer tumor-free lymph nodes removed was 88.0% and 66.4%, respectively, compared with 69.2% and 51.1%, respectively, for patients with more than 10 tumor-free lymph nodes removed. For patients with 10 or fewer tumor-free lymph nodes removed, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for risk of death from breast cancer was 0.579 (95% confidence interval, 0.492-0.687, P < 0.001), independent of patient age, marital status, histologic grade, tumor size, and adjuvant therapy. Our study suggests that the number of tumor-free lymph nodes removed is an independent predictor in cases of lymph node-negative breast cancer.
Axilla ; Breast Neoplasms ; mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: Carcinomas of the gallbladder have a poor prognosis, and the only chance for cure lies in early detection and complete surgical resection. The objective of this study was to determine the outcomes of surgical treatment for gallbladder carcinomas, with special reference to the histopathologic characteristics. METHODS: Seventy patients with gallbladder carcinomas were operated on during a period of seven years. Of those 42 patients underwent a resection for cure and were included in this study. The clinicopathologic data were collected, and the survival was measured. RESULTS: The resection rate was 60.0%. Operative morbidity and mortality were 14.3% and 4.8%, respectively. The 3-year survival rate after resection was 61.1%. The survival rate was significantly higher in patients with negative lymph-node metastasis and in those with a curative resection. Regional lymph-node metastasis, venous invasion, lymphatic permeation, and perineural infiltration increased with the depth of tumor invasion. In cases limited to the mucosa, no lymph-node metastasis or other extensions were observed. In patients with stage I gallbladder carcinomas, the outcome was good after a simple cholecystectomy alone. In stage II to IV, the survival rate for patients with a radical resection was higher than that for those with a simple cholecystectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Improved survival in gallbladder carcinomas can be achieved by a radical resection, including various types of liver resections and regional lymphadenectomies. Patients with tumors limited to the mucosa can be treated for cure by a simple cholecystectomy. In more advanced stages, a radical resection should be performed.
Cholecystectomy ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymph Node Excision ; Mortality ; Mucous Membrane ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

Surgery is the only hope to cure gastric cancer. The aim of surgery is the complete removal of the tumor (UICC RO-resection), which is known to be the only treatment modality proven effective and the most important treatment-related prognostic factor. The type of surgical treatment for gastric cancer is determined by the patient's medicosurgical status and the stage of disease. Improved survival and quality of life(QOL) are the major criteria for the therapeutic strategy. For patients with early gastric cancer, minimal invasive surgery is attempted for the improvement of QOL. Minimal invasive surgery can be performed only when there is no evidence for residual disease, especially in lymphnodes. Therefore, precise prediction and selection of node-negative patients is important for the application of minimal invasive surgery. However, long-term survival data are needed for these new techniques to become more generally accepted. For patients with advanced gastric cancer, aggressive and extended surgical approaches are recommended for the improvement of survival. Distal subtotal gastrectomy is the procedure of choice whenever tumor-free margin can be obtained, with the exception of proximal tumors that can be treated by total gastrectomy. Extended lymphadenectomy should be the choice of lymphadenectomy for experienced surgeons with a low morbidity and mortality. If a surgeon can perform combined resection of adjacent organs safely, it is recommended when a direct invasion is suspicious. Distal pancreatectomy should be avoided unless direct invasion is definite. Splenectomy for the purpose of lymph node dissection is be mandatory, and surgeons should consider preservation of the spleen when there is no definite splenic hilar lymph node enlargement or any direct invasion to the spleen. Cytoreductive surgery with intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a useful and promising procedure for the treatment of peritoneal metastasis. The therapeutic approach should be stratified according to the patient's status, tumor status,and QOL after resection. Above all, the treatment strategy should be specific and tailored to each patient for the improved survival and QOL.
Drug Therapy ; Gastrectomy ; Hope ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreatectomy ; Spleen ; Splenectomy ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Surgeons

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to assess the safety and the efficacy of laparoscopic colorectal surgery compared to those of conventional open surgery and to determine the feasibility of laparoscopic colorectal surgery based on oncologic principles. METHODS: From March 2001 to January 2002, 27 consecutive patients were assessed for the possible use of laparoscopic surgery. Thirty patients were included in the open group. Forty-seven patients were included in the laparoscopic group. The decision regarding the suitability of a patient for the procedure was made by the surgeon. RESULTS: Laparoscopic surgery was attempted on 47 patients, and in 31 patients, it was completed successfully. Patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery required a smaller dose of analgesics and had an earlier bowel passage recovery and shorter hospital stay than patients who underwent open surgery. The mean operation times for the open group, the conversion group, and the laparoscopic group were 252 min, 269 min, and 272 min respectively (P>0.05). There was no difference in the number of lymph nodes dissected nor the length of the distal margin of the resected bowel in the case of anterior resection and low anterior resection of the laparoscopic group compared to the open and the conversion groups (P>0.05). Complications in the laparoscopic surgery group were anastomosis site leakage and bowel obstruction. In the open group, wound infection, urinary retention, anastomosis site leakage and bowel obstruction were found. The morbidities of the open group, the conversion group, and the laparoscopic group were 23.3%, 37.5%, and 12.9%, respectively. One mortality was observed in the conversion group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there is no evidence that the laparoscopic technique is inadequate for following the cancer surgery principle, So laparoscopic colorectal surgery is a safe and feasible treatment. The overall morbidity and mortality in this study were acceptable. Sufficient lymph node dissection and distal margin of the resected bowel were accomplished with laparoscopic surgery. Further long-term follow up, however, will be necessary to confirm the value of this technique.
Analgesics ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Colorectal Surgery* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Mortality ; Urinary Retention ; Wound Infection