[Prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in patients following radical gastrectomy with the aim of guiding clinical decisions. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of data of patients who had undergone radical gastrectomy between June 2021 and June 2022 at the Department of General Surgery, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital. Participants were reviewed 9-12 months after surgery. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) radical gastrectomy with a postoperative pathological diagnosis of primary gastric cancer; (2) no invasion of neighboring organs, peritoneal dissemination, or distant metastasis confirmed intra- or postoperatively; (3) availability of complete clinical data, including abdominal enhanced computed tomography and pertinent blood laboratory tests 9-12 after surgery. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age <18 years; (2) presence of gastric stump cancer or previous gastrectomy; (3) history of or current other primary tumors within the past 5 years; (4) preoperative diagnosis of sarcopenia (skeletal muscle index [SMI) ≤52.4 cm²/m² for men, SMI ≤38.5 cm²/m² for women). The primary focus of the study was to investigate development of postoperative sarcopenia in the study cohort. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify the factors associated with development of sarcopenia after radical gastrectomy. Results: The study cohort comprised 373 patients of average age of 57.1±12.3 years, comprising 292 (78.3%) men and 81 (21.7%) women. Postoperative sarcopenia was detected in 81 (21.7%) patients in the entire cohort. The SMI for the entire group was (41.79±7.70) cm2/m2: (46.40±5.03) cm2/m2 for men and (33.52±3.63) cm2/m2 for women. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, age ≥60 years (OR=2.170, 95%CI: 1.175-4.007, P=0.013), high literacy (OR=2.512, 95%CI: 1.238-5.093, P=0.011), poor exercise habits (OR=3.263, 95%CI: 1.648-6.458, P=0.001), development of hypoproteinemia (OR=2.312, 95%CI: 1.088-4.913, P=0.029), development of hypertension (OR=2.169, 95%CI: 1.180-3.984, P=0.013), and total gastrectomy (OR=2.444, 95%CI:1.214-4.013,P=0.012) were independent risk factors for postoperative sarcopenia in post-gastrectomy patients who had had gastric cancer (P<0.05). Conclusion: Development of sarcopenia following radical gastrectomy demands attention. Older age, higher education, poor exercise habits, hypoproteinemia, hypertension, and total gastrectomy are risk factors for its development post-radical gastrectomy.

[Analysis of clinicopathological characteristics, therapeutic strategy and prognosis of 501 patients with gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms attending a single center].

Objective: To explore the clinicopathological features, treatment strategy and to analysis of prognosis-related risk factors of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms(G-NEN). Methods: In this study, a retrospective observational study method was used to collect the clinicopathological data of patients diagnosed with G-NEN by pathological examination in the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2000 to December 2021. The basic information of the patients, tumor pathological characteristics, and treatment methods were entered, and the treatment information and survival data after discharge were followed up and recorded. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to construct survival curves, and the log-rank test to analyze the differences in survival between groups. Cox Regression model analysis of risk factors affecting the prognosis of G-NEN patients. Results: Among the 501 cases confirmed as G-NEN, 355 were male and 146 were female, and their median age was 59 years. The cohort comprised 130 patients (25.9%) of neuroendocrine tumor (NET) G1, 54 (10.8%) of NET G2, 225 (42.9%) of neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), and 102 cases (20.4%) of mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine(MiNEN). Patients NET G1 and NET G2 were mainly treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). The main treatment for patients with NEC/MiNEN was the same as that for gastric malignancies, namely radical gastrectomy+lymph node dissection supplemented with postoperative chemotherapy. There were significant differences in sex, age, maximum tumor diameter, tumor morphology, tumor numbers, tumor location, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM staging and expression of immunohistological markers Syn and CgA among NET, NEC, and MiNEN patients (all P<0.05). Further for NET subgroup analysis, there were significant differences between NET G1 and NET G2 in the maximum tumor diameter, tumor shape and depth of invasion(all P<0.05). 490 patients (490/501, 97.8%) were followed up with a median of 31.2 months. 163 patients had a death during follow-up (NET G1 2, NET G2 1, NEC 114, MiNEN 46). For NET G1, NET G2, NEC and MiNEN patients,the 1-year overall survival rates were 100%, 100%, 80.1% and 86.2%, respectively; the 3-year survival rates were 98.9%, 100%, 43.5% and 55.1%, respectively. The differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). Univariate analysis showed that gender, age, smoking history, alcohol history, tumor pathological grade, tumor morphology, tumor location, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM stage were associated with the prognosis of G-NEN patients (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that age ≥60 years, pathological grade of NEC and MiNEN, distant metastasis, and TNM stage III-IV were independent factors influencing the survival of G-NEN patients (all P<0.05). 63 cases were stage IV at initial diagnosis. 32 of these were treated with surgery and 31 with palliative chemotherapy. Stage IV subgroup analysis showed that the 1-year survival rates were 68.1% and 46.2% in the surgical treatment and palliative chemotherapy groups, respectively, and the 3-year survival rates were 20.9% and 10.3%, respectively; the differences were statistically significant (P=0.016). Conclusions: G-NEN is a heterogeneous group of tumors. Different pathological grades of G-NEN have different clinicopathological features and prognosis. Factors such as age ≥ 60 years old, pathological grade of NEC/MiNEN, distant metastasis, stage III, IV mostly indicate poor prognosis of patients. Therefore, we should improve the ability of early diagnosis and treatment, and pay more attention to patients with advanced age and NEC/MiNEN. Although this study concluded that surgery improves the prognosis of advanced patients more than palliative chemotherapy, the value of surgical treatment for patients with stage IV G-NEN remains controversial.

[Factors influencing super-long hospital stays in patients undergoing radical gastrectomy in the age of enhanced recovery after surgery].

Objective: To obtain experience and generate suggestions for reducing average hospital stays, optimizing perioperative management of patients with gastric cancer and improving utilization of medical resources by analyzing the factors influencing super-long hospital stays in patients undergoing radical gastrectomy in the age of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). Methods: This was a case-control study. Inclusion criteria: (1) pathologically diagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma; (2) radical surgery for gastric cancer; and (3) complete clinicopathologic data. Exclusion criteria: (1) history of upper abdominal surgery; (2) presence of distant metastasis of gastric cancer or other ongoing neoplastic diseases; (3) concurrent chemoradiotherapy; and (4) preoperative gastric cancer-related complications such as obstruction or perforation. The study cohort comprised 285 eligible patients with hospital stays of ≥30 days (super-long hospital stay group). Using propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio, age, sex, medical insurance, pTNM stage, and extent of surgical resection as matching factors, 285 patients with hospital stays of < 30 days during the same period were selected as the control group (non-long hospital stay group). The primary endpoint was relationship between pre-, intra-, and post-operative characteristics and super-long hospital stays. Clavien-Dindo grade was used to classify complications. Results: Univariate analysis showed that number of comorbidities, number of preoperative consultations, preoperative consultation, inter-departmental transference, operation time, open surgery, blood loss, intensive care unit time, presence of surgical or non-surgical complications, Clavien-Dindo grade of postoperative complications, and reoperation were associated with super-long hospital stays (all P<0.05). Inter-departmental transference (OR=4.876, 95% CI: 1.500-16.731, P<0.001), preoperative consultation time ≥ 3 d (OR=1.758, 95%CI: 1.036-2.733, P=0.034), postoperative surgery-related complications (OR = 6.618, 95%CI: 2.141-20.459, P=0.01), and higher grade of complications (Clavien-Dindo Grade I: OR = 7.176, 95%CI: 1.785-28.884, P<0.001; Clavien-Dindo Grade II: OR = 18.984, 95%CI: 6.286-57.312, P<0.001; Clavien-Dindo Grade III-IV: OR=7.546, 95%CI:1.495-37.952, P=0.014) were independent risk factors for super-long hospital stays. Conclusion: Optimizing preoperative management, enhancing perioperative management, and surgical quality control can reduce the risk of prolonging average hospital stay.

[Preliminary experience with double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis after total laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction].

Objective: To explore the feasibility and preliminary technical experience of the double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis after total laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy (TLPG) in the treatment of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG). Methods: A descriptive case series study method was used. Clinical data of 12 AEG patients who underwent the double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis after TLPG from January 2021 to June 2021 at the Department of General Surgery, First Medical Center, PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among the 12 patients, the median tumor diameter was 2.0 (1.5-2.9) cm, and the pathological stage was T1-3N0-3aM0. All the patients routinely underwent TLPG and D2 lymph node dissection with double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis: (1) Double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis: mesentery 25 cm away from the Trevor ligament was treated, and an incision of about 1 cm was made on the mesenteric border of the intestinal wall and the right wall of the esophagus, two arms of the linear cutting closure were inserted, and esophagojejunal side-to-side anastomosis was performed. A linear stapler was used to cut off the lower edge of the anastomosis and close the common opening to complete the esophagojejunal π-shaped anastomosis. (2) Side-to-side gastrojejunostomy anastomosis: an incision of about 1 cm was made at the jejunum to mesenteric border and at the greater curvature of the remnant stomach 15 cm from the esophagojejunostomy, and a linear stapler was inserted to complete the gastrojejunostomy side-to-side anastomosis. (3) Side-to-side jejunojejunal anastomosis: an incision of about 1 cm was made at the proximal and distal jejunum to the mesangial border 40 cm from the esophagojejunostomy, and two arms of the linear stapler were inserted respectively to complete the side-to-side jejunojejunal anastomosis. A midline incision about 4-6 cm in the upper abdomen was conducted to take out the specimen, and an abdominal drainage tube was placed, then layer-by-layer abdominal closure was performed. INDICATIONS: (1) adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (Seiwert type II-III) was diagnosed by endoscopy and pathological examination; (2) ability to preserve at least 1/2 of the distal stomach after R0 resection of proximal stomach was evaluated preoperatively. CONTRAINDICATIONS: (1) evaluation indicated distant metastasis of tumor or invasion of other organs; (2) short abdominal esophagus or existence of diaphragmatic hiatal hernia was assessed during the operation; (3) mesentery was too short or the tension was too high; (4) existence of severe comorbidities before surgery; (5) only palliative surgery was required in preoperative evaluation; (6) poor nutritional status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, time to first flatus and time to start liquid diet, postoperative hospital stay, operation cost, etc. Continuous variables that conformed to normal distribution were presented as mean ± standard deviation, and those that did not conform to normal distribution were presented as median (Q1,Q3). Results: All the patients successfully completed TLPG with double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis, and postoperative pathology showed that no cancer cells were found on the upper incision margin. The operation time was (247.9±62.4) minutes, the median intraoperative blood loss was 100.0 (62.5, 100.0) ml, no intraoperative blood transfusion was required, the incision length was (4.9±1.0) cm, and the operation cost was (55.5±0.7) thousand yuan. The median time to start liquid diet was 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) days, and the mean time to flatus was (3.1±0.9) days. All the patients were discharged uneventfully. Only 1 patient developed postoperative paralytic ileus and infectious pneumonia with Clavien-Dindo classification of grade II. The patient recovered after conservative treatment. There was no surgery-related death. The postoperative hospital stay was (8.3±2.1) days. Conclusion: The double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis after TLPG is safe and feasible, which can minimize surgical trauma and accelerate postoperative recovery.

[A comparative study on short-term outcomes and quality of life for gastric cancer patients between totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy using an endoscopic linear stapler and laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy using a circular stapler].

Objective: To explore the differences of short-term outcomes and quality of life (QoL) for gastric cancer patients between totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy using an endoscopic linear stapler and laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy using a circular stapler. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinicopathological data of patients with stage I to III gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy from January 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively collected. Those who were ≥80 years old, had serious complications that could affect the quality of life, underwent multi-organ resections, palliative surgery, emergency surgery due to gastrointestinal perforation, obstruction, bleeding, died or lost to follow-up within 1 year after surgery were excluded. A total of 130 patients were enrolled and divided into circular stapler group (CS group, 77 cases) and linear stapler group (LS group, 53 cases) according to the surgical method. The differences of age, gender, body mass index, number of comorbidities, history of abdominal surgery, ASA, tumor location, degree of differentiation, tumor length, tumor T stage, tumor N stage, tumor pathological stage and preoperative quality of life between the two groups were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The observation indicators: (1) Surgery and postoperative conditions. (2) Postoperative complications: Any adverse conditions that require conservative treatment or surgical intervention after surgery were defined as postoperative complications, of which, complications occurring within 30 days after surgery were defined as early complications; complications occurring within 30 days to 1 year after surgery were defined as late complications. (3) Postoperative quality of life was assessed by the quality of life core scale (QLQ-C30) and gastric cancer specific module scale (QLQ-STO22). The higher the scores of functional scales and global health status, the better the corresponding quality of life. The higher the scores of symptoms scales, the worse the corresponding quality of life. Results: (1) Surgery and postoperative conditions: Compared with the CS group, the LS group presented less intraoperative blood loss [50.0 (50.0-100.0) ml vs. 100.0 (100.0-100.0) ml, Z=-3.111, P=0.002] and earlier time to flatus [(3.1±0.8) days vs. (3.5±1.1) days, t=-2.490, P=0.014]. However, there were no statistically significant differences between two groups of patients in terms of operation time, time to start a liquid diet and postoperative hospital stay (all P>0.05). (2) Postoperative complications: The early complication rates of the CS group and the LS group were 22.1% (17/77) and 18.9% (10/53), respectively, while the late complication rate were 18.2% (14/77) and 15.1% (8/53), respectively, whose differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). (3) Postoperative quality of life: After 1-year follow-up, 7 (5.4%) patients were lost, including 5 in CS group and 2 in LS group. One year after operation, the QLQ-C30 scale showed that the score of financial difficulty of the LS group was significantly higher than that of the CS group [33.3 (0 to 33.3) vs.0 (0 to 33.3), Z=-1.972, P=0.049] with statistically significant difference, and there were no statistically significant differences in the scores of other functional fields and symptom fields between the two groups (all P>0.05). The QLQ-STO22 scale showed that the scores of dysphagia [0 (0 to 5.6) vs. 0 (0 to 11.1), Z=-2.094, P=0.036] and eating restriction were significantly lower [0 (0 to 4.2) vs. 0 (0 to 8.3), Z=-2.011, P=0.044] in patients of the LS group than those of the CS group. There were no significant differences in scores of other symptoms between two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Compared with the circular stapler, the esophagojejunostomy with linear stapler for gastric cancer patients can reduce intraoperative blood loss, shorten the time to flatus after operation, alleviate the symptoms of dysphagia and eating restriction but increase the economic burden to a certain degree.

[Evaluation of basic laparoscopic training under 5A teaching mode].

Objective: To evaluate the rationality and effectiveness of basic laparoscopic training under 5A teaching mode. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. The teaching records of 70 trainees who received basic laparoscopic traning at the Laparoscopic Surgical Training Base in Chinese PLA General Hospital from July to December 2019 were analyzed. All the trainees participating in the laparoscopy training had obtained the national practicing physician certificates, including 12 junior physicians of our center, 9 intermediate physicians of our center, 19 advanced physicians, 13 postgraduate students, 8 doctoral students, and 9 surgical standardized training physicians. A random number table method was used to divide all the trainees into two groups: the traditional teaching group or the 5A teaching group (35 people in each group). In the traditional teaching group, the training of 4 modules of " precise beans, quincuncial piles, ring positioning and knot-tying suture" modules according to a fixed sequence and schedule was carried out. Each module had a learning time of 8 hours. In the 5A teaching group, the training started from five dimensions of analysis, aim, accomplishment, appraise and advance. Before conducting each stage of training, the actual operation ability of the trainees was tested, each class hour was designed individually, accurate teaching was conducted to the trainees, the ability of the trainees was evaluated dynamically, and the previous steps were cycled periodically based on class hours. The operating time and pass rate of trainees of two groups in the basic operation module of laparoscopy were statistically analyzed, and a hierarchical analysis of related influencing factors was conducted. Results: The time of above modules before training in the 5A teaching group and the traditional teaching group was similar (all P>0.05). After definitive training, the time required for trainees in 5A teaching group and traditional teaching group to complete the 4 modules was shortened to varying degrees. Compared to traditional teaching group, 5A teaching group spent less time in completing each project [precise beans: (63.2±10.1) seconds vs. (83.6±18.7) seconds, quincuncial piles: (56.2±7.3) seconds vs. (101.4±31.7) seconds, ring positioning: (84.2±13.7) seconds vs. (127.3±28.5) seconds, knot-tying suture: (263.2±41.8) seconds vs.(428.8±95.2) seconds, all P<0.05], and had higher pass rates [precise beans: 97.1% (34/35) vs. 80.0% (28/35), quincuncial piles: 91.4% (32/35) vs.71.4% (25/35), ring positioning: 100.0% (35/35) vs. 82.9% (29/35), knot-tying suture: 77.1% (27/35) vs. 60.0% (21/35), all P<0.05]. Among the junior trainees (junior physicians of our center, postgraduate students, doctoral students, and standardized surgical training physicians) and intermediate trainees (intermediate physicians of our center and advanced physicians), the 5A teaching group completed 3 modules (quincuncial piles, ring positioning and knot-tying suture) faster than the traditional teaching group [junior trainees: quincuncial piles (76.4±12.4) seconds vs. (139.8±41.6) seconds, ring positioning (92.2±20.5) seconds vs. (131.3±28.4) seconds, knot-tying suture (293.8±66.7) seconds vs. (444.3±103.3) seconds; intermediate trainees: quincuncial piles (51.4±5.9) seconds vs. (94.7±8.6) seconds, ring positioning (63.9±13.5) seconds vs. (87.5±18.6) seconds, knot-tying suture (210.1±35.6) seconds vs. (367.5±54.9) seconds, all P<0.05]. Conclusion: 5A teaching mode can acheive better training results compared with the traditional teaching mode in basic laparoscopic training, and is worthy of further popularization and application.

[Analysis of clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy based on a single-center gastric cancer database with above 10 000 cases].

Objective: The storage of medical data has been digitized in China, but a unified and structured model has not yet been established. The standardized collection, analysis and sorting of tumor clinical data is the foundation of improving the standard of tumor diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, establishing a database platform of gastric cancer (GC) is an urgent need to integrate data resources and improve the level of diagnosis and treatment. The population economics indexes of GC patients in the last 20 years are analyzed in a single-center GC database. The medical records were structured by natural language processing technology. Authors aim to investigate the clinical pathological characteristics, staging and survival of the GC patients with gastrectomy. Method: A retrospective cohort study was carried out. Clinicopatological data of patients receiving surgical treatment from 2000 to 2019 were retrospectively collected. According to the gastric cancer TNM staging guidelines from the Union for International Cancer Control and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (UICC/AJCC) 8th edition, the structured gastric cancer clinicopathological data were re-evaluated and interpreted. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used to compare survival rate among different groups of patients with complete follow-up data of 2010-2016. Results: Clinicopathological data of 13 492 GC patients were enrolled. The ratio of men to women in the whole group was 3.25:1.00, including 10 320 men with average onset age of 59.68 years, which was basically stable in recent 20 years, and 3172 women with average onset age of 55.93 years, which presented a trend of average increasement of 0.17 year per year. The average hospitalization duration for GC patients showed a decreasing trend year by year, which was 13.87 days in 2019. Average hospitalization cost for GC patients was increasing year by year, with a peak of 83 600 CNY in 2017 and 75 400 CNY in 2019. By natural language identification and exclusion criteria screening, a total of 7218 GC patients obtained structured clinicopathological information. Analysis on clinicopathological characteristics of 3626 GC patients in the last 5 years showed that the average diameter of tumor was (4.44±2.61) cm; the average number of harvested lymph node was 24.30±13.29; the proportion of surgical methods were as following: open surgery in 1398 cases (38.55%), laparoscopic surgery in 1856 cases (51.19%) and robotic surgery in 372 cases (10.26%). The postoperative pathological stage was as following: IA in 658 cases (18.15%), IB in 318 cases (8.77%), IIA in 559 cases (15.42%), IIB in 543 (14.98%), III A in 632 (17.43%), III B in 612 cases (16.88%), III C in 276 cases (7.61%), and IV in 28 cases (0.77%). Complete follow-up data of 3431 patients from 2010 to 2016 were presented. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 82%, 69% and 60%, respectively for the whole group. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates for patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery were 83%, 70% and 64%, respectively, and for those undergoing open surgery were 81%, 67% and 56%, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P=0.109). The 5-year survival rate of GC patients with different AJCC stages was as following: 88% in IA, 77% in IB, 70% in II A, 62% in II B, 44% in III A, 32% in III B, 22% in III C, and 17% in IV. Conclusion: This study provides basic data for the establishment of comprehensive diagnosis and treatment model of multicenter, shedding light on the improvement of comprehensive treatment of GC in China.

[Clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer in adolescents aged 10-24 years: 17-year experience of 17 years in a single institute].

Objective: Gastric cancer in adolescents is rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of gastric cancer in adolescents aged 10-24 years. Methods: A case-controlled study was performed. The clinicopathological data of gastric cancer patients aged 10-24 years who were treated at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from February 2000 to February 2017 were retrospectively collected and compared with those patients over 40 years old at the same period, which were randomly selected in a ratio of 1:2. All the patients were followed up until June 2019 and Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze prognostic factors in the adolescent patients. Results: A total of 63 adolescent gastric cancer patients (0.4% of all 14 794 gastric cancer patients) were enrolled, including 31 males (49.2%) and 32 females (50.8%), with a mean body mass index of (19.5±4.3) kg/m(2). Before diagnosis, Only 35 cases (55.6%) had warning symptoms such as weight loss, ascites, obstruction, hematemesis, black stool, etc.; 5 cases (7.9%) had a family history of gastrointestinal tumor. The median duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 3 months. At diagnosis, 58 cases (92.1%) were poorly differentiated, 57 cases (90.5%) were T3-4 stage, 19 cases (30.2%) were signet ring cell cancer or mucous adenocarcinoma, 57 cases (90.5%) had lymph node metastasis, and 36 cases (57.1%) had distant metastasis. Twenty-nine patients (46.0%) underwent radical surgery, 12 patients underwent palliative surgery, 5 patients underwent exploratory laparotomy, 17 patients were unable to operate due to late stage. Of 56 cases (88.9%) with TNM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, 51 patients (81.0%) received chemotherapy. Of the 126 patients over 40 years old, 98 cases (77.8%) were male and 28 cases (22.2%) were female, and the mean body mass index was (23.8±3.2) kg/m(2). There were 60 cases (47.6%) with low differentiation, 90 cases (71.4%) with T3-4, 16 cases (12.7%) with signet ring cell cancer and mucous cell cancer, 79 cases (62.7%) with lymph node metastasis, and 12 cases (9.5%) with distant metastasis. A total of 115 cases (91.3%) underwent radical surgery. Of 74 cases (58.7%) with TNM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, 67 cases received (53.2%) chemotherapy. The 63 adolescent gastric cancer patients had lower body mass index, and higher proportion in female, poorly differentiation, signet ring cell cancer and mucous cell cancer, T3-4 stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ and receiving chemotherapy compared with 126 gastric cancer patients over 40 years old (all P<0.05). Among the 63 adolescent gastric cancer patients, 52 cases (82.5%) were followed up with median follow-up time of 72.1 (36.1, 100.8) months, and the median survival time was 10.4 months (95% CI: 6.5-15.1). The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 44.2%, 25.0% and 18.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the depth of tumor invasion (HR=7.15, 95% CI:1.71-29.89, P=0.007), lymph node metastasis (HR=6.00, 95% CI:1.42 - 25.42, P=0.015), distant metastasis (HR=7.25, 95% CI: 3.25 - 16.18, P<0.001), TNM stage (HR=5.49, 95% CI: 1.67-18.12, P=0.005) and tumor resection (HR=0.18, 95% CI: 0.09-0.37, P<0.001) were the risk factors affecting the prognosis of adolescent gastric cancer patients. Multivariate survival analysis showed that distant metastasis was an independent factor for gastric cancer survival in adolescents (HR=3.67, 95% CI: 1.32-10.19, P=0.012). Conclusions: Gastric cancer in adolescents is insidious and progresses rapidly. Most of them are in the advanced stage at diagnosis and have low rate of radical excision.

[Surgical selection and metastatic warning of splenic lymph node dissection in advanced gastric cancer radical surgery: a prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To investigate the surgical options for splenic lymph node dissection in patients with advanced gastric cancer undergoing radical total gastrectomy, and to evaluate the sentinel effect of No. 4s lymph node on splenic lymph node metastasis. Methods: A prospective, single-center, randomized and controlled study was carried out (Trial registration, No.NCT02980861). Enrollment criteria: (1) >18 years old and <65 years old; (2) gastric adenocarcinoma locating in the proximal or corpus; (3) preoperative clinical staging as cT2-4aN0-3M0; (4) D2 radical total gastrectomy feasible judged before operation; (5) physical ability score 0 to 1; (6) I to III of ASA classification. Pregnant or lactating women, patients with severe mental illness or previous history of upper abdominal surgery, those suffered from other malignant tumors in the past 5 years, or heart and lung system diseases judged to affect surgery before operation, those receiving preoperative chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted therapies, and distant metastases being found during surgery were excluded. According to above criteria, 222 patients at The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from December 2016 to December 2017 were enrolled prospectively and were randomly divided into the laparoscopic splenic hilar lymph node dissection group (laparoscopic group, n=114) and the open splenic hilar lymph node dissection group (open group, n=108). The result of rapid frozen immunohistochemistry of harvested No.4s lymph nodes was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of sentinel effect on splenic hilar lymph node metastasis. The surgical parameters, postoperative recovery parameters, and complication rates were compared between the two groups. Results: There were 80 males and 34 females in the lapascopic group with a mean age of (56.1±10.2) years, and 69 males and 39 females in the open group with a mean age of (58.4±10.9) years. There were no significant differences in baseline data between the two groups (all P>0.05). Total blood loss was less in the laparoscopic group [(96.3±82.4) ml vs. (116.6±101.9) ml, t=1.124, P<0.001], and the amount of bleeding from the splenic hilar lymph nodes dissected was also less than that in the open group [(25.3±17.8) ml vs. (59.5±36.4) ml, t=1.172, P<0.001]. However, the operation time, the time of splenic hilar lymph node, the number of lymph node dissected and number of splenic hilar lymph node dissected were not significantly different between the two groups (all P>0.05). As compared to the open group, the laparoscopic group had shorter time to the first flatus [(1.3±1.2) days vs. (1.6±1.5) days, t=1.665, P=0.021], shorter time to fluid diet [(4.6±1.4) days vs. (4.9 ± 1.6) days, t=1.436, P=0.007], shorter time to remove nasogastric tube [(3.9±2.6) days vs. (4.3±2.4) days, t=0.687, P<0.001] and shorter hospital stay [(10.3±6.6) days vs. (12.1±7.2) days, t=0.697, P<0.001]. Complication rate was 14.0% (16/114) and (12.0%) ((1)3/108) in the laparoscopic group and the open group, respectively, without significant difference (χ(2)=6.723, P=0.331). The sensitivity of the No. 4s lymph node for the prediction of splenic hilar lymph node metastasis reached 89.5%, and the specificity reached 99.6%. Conclusions: Laparoscopic technique is safe and feasible in the treatment of splenic hilar lymph node dissection in advanced gastric cancer. The No.4s lymph node examination has good sentinel effect on predicting the metastasis of splenic hilar lymph nodes.

[Clinicopathologic features and prognostic analysis of 240 patients with gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms].

Objective: To investigate clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of gastric neuroendocrine tumors (G-NEN). Methods: Clinical and pathological data of patients with G-NEN diagnosed by pathological examination in Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2000 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed in this case-control study. Patients with complicated visceral lesions, other visceral primary tumors, mental disorders and incomplete clinicopathological data were excluded. Finally, 240 hospitalized patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Physical examination information, tumor characteristics and pathological characteristics of patients were summarized. The Cox regression models were used to analyze the risk factors affecting G-NEN and the survival conditions were described by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank test. Results: In 240 patients with G-NEN, the mean age was (60.3±10.1) years; 181 were male (75.4%) and 59 females (24.6%); mean tumor diameter was (4.2±2.8) cm; 51 cases (21.2%) were neuroendocrine tumor (NET), 139 cases (57.9%) neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), 50 cases (20.8%) mixed neuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC); 28 cases (11.7%) were G1 low grades, 34 cases (14.2%) G2 medium grades, and 178 cases (74.2%) G3 high grades; tumor infiltration depth T1 to T4 were 44 cases (18.3%), 27 cases (11.2%), 60 cases (25.0%) and 109 cases (45.4%) respectively; 163 cases (67.9%) developed lymphatic metastasis and 46 patients (19.2%) distant metastasis; tumor stage from stage I to stage IV were 55 cases (22.9%), 42 cases (17.5%), 94 cases (39.2%) and 53 cases (22.1%) respectively. Of the 240 G-NEN patients, 223 cases (92.9%) were followed up. The median survival time of the patients was 39.2 (95% CI: 29.1 to 47.5) months. Univariate survival analysis showed that age ≥ 60 years, tumor diameter ≥ 4.2 cm, tumor grade G3, lymphatic metastasis, distant metastasis, and tumor stage III-IV were risk factors for G-NEN patients. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that lymphatic metastasis (HR=1.783, 95%CI: 1.007-3.155, P=0.047) and distant metastasis (HR=2.288, 95% CI: 1.307-4.008, P=0.004) were independent risk factors of the prognosis. Further analysis of the G3 subgroup of G-NEN showed that the 5-year survival rate of NET-G3 was 76.19%, which was significantly higher than that of NEC-G3 and MANEC-G3 (15.60% and 24.73%, P=0.012). Conclusions: Most G-NEN patients are in advanced stage at diagnosis. Lymphatic metastasis and distant metastasis indicate poor prognosis. The prognosis of high proliferation NET-G3 patients is better as compared to those of NEC-G3 and MANEC-G3. This classification is worth further attention.

[Emphasis on standardization of follow-up after gastrectomy].

The high postoperative recurrence rate of advanced-stage gastric cancer has been an unsolved problem for its treatment. Postoperative surveillance is an important step for the multiple disciplinary treatment. At present, most guidelines worldwide recommended standardization programs of follow-up after gastrectomy, based on different timing and items. Standard postoperative surveillance is critical for the building up of multiple disciplinary team. And to make sure the success of postoperative surveillance, we should specify the timing and items according to different recurrence risks by prediction model. In the end, improving the quality of postoperative surveillance is the key to benefit patients of gastric cancer.

[Comparison of the short-term and long-term outcome between robotic gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastrectomy: a propensity score matching analysis].

Objective: To compare the short-term and long-term outcome between robotic gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastrectomy. Methods: The clinical data of 517 patients who had received robotic gastectomy and laparoscopic gastrectomy between December 2011 and December 2013 at Department of General Surgery, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital was collected. After propensity score matching, 70 patients in robotic gastectomy and 70 patients in laparoscopic gastectomy were identified. Perioperative outcome and overall survival were compared between the two groups using t test, χ(2) test, Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-rank test, respectively. Prognosis factors were analyzed by Cox's proportional hazards regression. Results: There were comparable baseline characteristics between patients in robotic group (RG) and those in laparoscopic group (LG). The conversion rate for RG and LG were 5.7% and 4.3% respectively (P=1.000). Compared with LG, RG had similar lymph node retrieval (25.5±7.2 vs. 24.5±8.3, t=0.770, P=0.443) and less blood loss ((147.0±96.8) ml vs. (188.0±111.2) ml, t=-2.326, P=0.021). There were also similar complications (χ(2)=0.233, P=0.629) and severity of complications (W=70.500, P=0.053). Although there tended to be early mobility, early flatus and less hospital stay for patients in RG group, the difference between RG and LG was not statistically significant. The 3-year survival rate was 72.9% and 60.0% for patients in RG and patients in LG (P=0.578). Multivariable analysis revealed gender (HR=2.529, 95% CI: 1.042 to 6.140, P=0.040), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (HR=0.272, 95% CI: 0.104 to 0.710, P=0.008) and vascular invasion (HR=2.135, 95% CI: 1.027 to 4.438, P=0.042) were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: Compared with laparoscopic gastrectomy, robotic gastectomy could achieve similar short-term and long-term outcomes.

[Pay attention to the standardized application of new techniques in surgical treatment of thyroid disease].

The continuous development and application of new technology in thyroid surgery has promoted the rapid improvement of thyroid surgery. New technology in the field of thyroid surgery has developed rapidly. The application of neural monitoring technology has enabled the thyroid surgery to enter an accurate era. Imtraoperative neuromonitoring and continuous intraoperative neuromonitoring have made the recurrent laryngeal nerve protection more secure. Nano-carbon parathyroid gland negative imaging technology could identify parathyroid gland more precise. However, when the nano-carbon was used, the injection time, position and dosage should be grasped so as to achieve the best effect of negative imaging. Endoscopic and robotic thyroid surgery could meet the demand of cosmetic. "Treatment first, beauty second" is still the principle to be strictly followed. Do not blindly expand indications and pursue endoscopic surgery. Energy surgical instruments' update made the operation more efficient, while the instruments have some disadvantages. Thyroid surgeon must correctly understand the working principle of new energy devices and use them rationally. Through grasping the working principle and application skills of new technology in clinical work, definiting its advantages and disadvantages, adhereing to the "reasonable choice, standard application" principle, learning the pioneers' experience, the application of new thyroid diagnosis and treatment technology could be more reasonable and safe.

[Enhanced recovery after surgery for the gastrointestinal surgery].

It has already been ten years since the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) was introduced in China. The ERAS protocol focuses on relieving surgical stress and accelerating physiological recovery. From our perspective, besides the post hospital stay, it would be better to evaluate patient's recovery by different indicators. It is important to improve the compliance of ERAS protocol. The guideline-related factors, administration, medical staff and patients have impact on compliance. Integrating stakeholders, strengthening communication and cooperation among multidiscipline teams, combining theory with practice would facilitate use of ERAS protocol in clinical settings.

[Factor analysis and method exploring for lymph nodes harvest in gastric cancer].

The number of lymph node dissection and positive lymph nodes are the necessary guarantees for patients to achieve accurate staging after gastric cancer surgery. On the basis of the minimum number of lymph nodes dissection recommended by the NCCN guidelines, as many as possible lymph node yields will be most likely to benefit patients. Many factors can influence the number of lymph node yields including surgery, patient, tumor pathology and postoperative sorting factors. Compared with traditional manual nodal dissection method, fat-clearing technique and methylene blue staining method can improve the number of lymph nodes detection, while lymphatic tracers, such as carbon nanoparticles, are conducive to show lymphatic vessels, contributing to the dissection of small lymph nodes. The initial results from People's Liberation Army General Hospital show that lymph node packet submission after isolation by surgeon yields more lymph nodes. For the establishment of standards, lymph node retrieval-related procedures need further in-depth exploration and investigation.

[Structured training strategy for robot surgery].

With surgical strategy progresses towarding to precision and minimally invasive surgery, the Da Vinci robotic surgical system comes into being. Compared with conventional surgery, the Da Vinci robotic surgical system enjoys several advantages including clear operation field, flexibility and tremor filtration.Normative operation plays an important role in translating such advantages into clinical benefits.Training physicians systematically and comprehensively is very important. Compared with conventional training strategy, multi-modal simulation training is more preferred for the Da Vinci robotic surgical system training.Based on comprehensive literature retrieval and the current development of the robotic surgery, training modalities, learning curve, training of young surgeons as well as teamwork are included to provide evidence for future establishment and implement of structured training programs of the robotic surgery.

[The conversion therapy for unresectable gastric cancer].

The unresectable gastric cancer refers to be unable to accept radical gastrectomy because of advanced stage, which is mainly treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, and obtains only poor prognosis in the past. In recent years, however, some scholars found that the unresectable gastric cancer cases which were treated with systematic chemotherapy, radiochemotherapy, interventional therapy, hyperthermic intraperitoneal peroperative chemotherapy and so on, could be converted into resectable (radical D2 gastrectomy) cases successfully, and their survival time and quality of life are promoted significantly. The conversion therapy for unresectable gastric cancer provides a novel surgical strategy for the comprehensive treatment of part of the advanced gastric cancer patients.

[Retrospective clinical analysis of surgical treatment for gastric stump carcinoma].

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical feature and surgical procedures of gastric stump carcinoma (GSC) and to identify the prognostic factors which influence survival rate of GSC patients. METHODS: Clinical data of 167 patients who underwent R0 resection for gastric stump carcinoma at Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between January 1990 and December 2012 was collected. There were 144 male and 23 female cases. The clinicopathological features of GSC patients were compared between those who underwent initial surgery for benign disease (GSC-B group, 78 cases) and for gastric cancer (GSC-M group, 89 cases). The analysis of therapeutic methods and survival time were also performed.t-test was used to compare the quantitative data between two groups. Pearson χ(2) test was used to compare the various clinicopathological characteristics between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the survival rate. Multivariate survival analysis was based on the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Compared with GSC-M group, the interval time between initial gastrectomy and surgery in GSC-B group was longer ( (28.2±10.2) years vs. (10.8±1.0) years, t=15.902, P=0.001). There were 56 patients (71.8%) who received BillrothⅠ reconstruction in GSC-B group, and 49 patients (55.1%) who received BillrothⅡ reconstruction in GSC-M group, the difference of anastomosis method between the two groups was statistically significant (χ(2)=25.770, P=0.001). Compared with GSC-M group, the tumor of GSC-B group was usually located at the anastomotic site (χ(2)=6.975, P=0.031). The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of the 167 patients were 87%, 60%, and 41%. The 5-year survival rates for TNM stagesⅠ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ were 65%, 43%, and 22%, respectively (P= 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that small intestinal or esophageal infiltration (HR=1.957, 95%CI: 1.096 to 3.494, P=0.023), tumor location (HR=1.618, 95%CI: 1.104 to 2.372, P=0.014), and TNM stage (HR=2.307, 95%CI: 1.708 to 3.118, P=0.001) have independent effect on survival. The metastasis rates of perigastric lymph nodes, jejunum anastomosis and mesenteric lymph nodes were very high (56.3% and 65.2%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The GSC appears earlier in patients with gastrectomy for malignant disease than those with benign disease. Appropriate curative resection including residual lymph node dissection is very important to improve the prognosis. Small intestinal or esophageal infiltration, tumor location, and TNM stage have independent effect on survival.

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 is associated with invasion, metastasis, and could be a potential therapeutic target in human gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5), which is identified as a novel intestinal stem cell marker, is overexpressed in various tumours. In this study, we explore Lgr5 expression in gastric carcinoma and analyse its role in invasion, metastasis, and prognosis in carcinoma. METHODS: A combination of immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to detect mRNA and protein expression levels of Lgr5 and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2). Small interfering RNA against Lgr5 was designed, synthesised, and transfected into AGS cells. The effects of Lgr5 siRNA on cell invasion were detected by transwell invasion chamber assay and wound healing assay. RESULTS: Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 expression was significantly higher in gastric carcinomas than in normal mucosa. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 expression positively correlated with the depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distance of metastasis, and MMP2 expression levels. Multivariate analysis showed that Lgr5 had an independent effect on survival, and that it positively correlated with MMP2. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 siRNAs inhibited Lgr5 mRNA and protein expression. Transwell assays indicated that these siRNAs resulted in significantly fewer cells migrating through the polycarbonate membrane, and wound healing assay also indicated that siRNAs decreased the migration of cells. Inhibition of Lgr5 resulted in a significant decrease in MMP2 and ß-catenin levels compared with those in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 was correlated with invasion and metastasis. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 inhibition could serve as a novel therapeutic approach.