Discussion on the strategies of common hepatic artery lymph node dissection for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma / 中华消化外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the metastatic rule of common hepatic artery lymph node of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,and to investigate the strategies of common hepatic artery lymph node dissection.Methods The clinical data of 682 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were admitted to the Cancer Hospital of Fudan University from May 2005 to December 2010 were retrospectively analyzed.The locoregional lymph node metastasis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,relationship between metastatic rates of common hepatic artery lymph node and clinicopathological factors and the postoperative complications were analyzed.The enumeration data were analyzed using the chi-square test.Results A total of 18 277 lymph nodes were dissected (27 lymph nodes per patient).The lymph node metastatic rate was 55.87％ (381/682),and the metastatic lymph node ratio was 7.87％ (1438/18 277).Lymph nodes adjacent to the cardia of stomach,laryngeal nerve,lesser curvature of stomach,cervical esophagus,left gastric artery had a higher metastatic rate,while common hepatic artery lymph node had a lower metastatic rate.All the common hepatic artery lymph node metastasis was accompanied with locoregional metastasis.A total of 1480 common hepatic artery lymph nodes were dissected (2 common hepatic artery lymph nodes per patient).Twenty-four patients had common hepatic artery lymph node metastasis,with the metastatic rate of 3.52％ (24/682) and the lymph node ratio of 2.16％ (32/1480).The common hepatic artery lymph node metastatic rates of upper,middle and lower esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were 2.33％ (1/43),3.76％ (16/425) and 3.27％ (7/217),with no significant difference (x2 =0.295,P ＞ 0.05).The common hepatic artery lymph node metastatic rates of patients in T1,T2 and T3 stages were 2.35％ (2/85),5.46％ (10/183) and 2.90％ (12/414),with no significant difference (x2 =2.850,P ＞ 0.05).The common hepatic artery lymph node metastatic rates of patients with high,moderate and poor differentiated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were 0(0/63),3.50％ (16/457) and 4.94％ (8/162),with no significant difference (x2=3.259,P ＞ 0.05).The common hepatic artery lymph node metastatic rates of patients with diameter of tumor under 3 cm,3-5 cm and above 5 cm were 2.59％ (6/232),3.02％ (11/364) and 8.14％ (7/86),with significant difference (x2 =6.267,P ＜ 0.05).The common hepatic artery lymph node metastatic rates of patients in N0,N1,N2,N3 stages were 0(0/301),2.53％ (5/198),5.65％ (7/124) and 20.34％ (12/56),with significant difference (x2 =62.368,P ＜ 0.05).The common hepatic artery lymph node metastatic rates of patients in stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ were 0(0/62),1.78％ (6/337),5.06％ (13/257) and 19.23％ (5/26),with significant difference (x2=25.959,P ＜0.05).Two hundred and twenty-eight patients had postoperative complications with the complication rate of 33.43％ (228/682).The incidence of anastomotic fistula was the highest,which was 11.58％(79/682).Conclusions The metastatic rates of common hepatic artery lymph node in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is the lowest.For patients suffered from esophageal cancer in stage I or the tumor diameter under 5 cm,the dissection of common hepatic lymph node can be ommitted in surgery.