Yuki Murakami

Prognostic Significance of Pre- and Postoperative Lymphocyte Counts in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Background: Although preoperative lymphopenia is reportedly a prognostic factor in cancer patients, the association between postoperative lymphopenia and patient prognosis has not been widely studied. Methods: We enrolled 352 patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer (GC) between January 2005 and April 2013 to analyze correlations among pre- and postoperative lymphocyte counts (LCs) and prognosis in GC patients. Results: Pre- and postoperative (obtained 1 day after surgery) LCs were significantly correlated (r = 0.496, p < 0.0001). Pre- and postoperative LCs of elderly patients were significantly lower than those of non-elderly patients. Postoperative lymphocyte count was significantly lower in patients with a differentiated tumor than in those with an undifferentiated tumor. Based on the results of receiver operating characteristic analysis, patients were classified into subgroups as: preoperative LC ≥1,676 (pre-LCHigh), preoperative LC <1,676 (pre-LCLow); and as postoperative LC ≥855 (post-LCHigh), and postoperative LC <855 (post-LCLow). Five-year overall survival rates significantly differed between pre-LCHigh (82.5%) and pre-LCLow (71.6%) groups (p = 0.023); and also between the post-LCHigh (81.5%) and post-LCLow (69.5%) groups (p = 0.0072). The 5-year disease specific survival rates were 91.3 and 82.4% in patients with post-LCHigh and those with post-LCLow, respectively, and differences were statistically significant (p = 0.015). Multivariate analysis indicated that postoperative lymphocyte count was an independent prognostic indicator, along with age, gender, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and venous invasion. Conclusions: Postoperative lymphocyte count is a useful predictive factor for prognosis in GC patients.

Influence of prognostic nutritional index and tumor markers on survival in gastric cancer surgery patients

PurposeBlood analytes are easily used in routine clinical practice. Tumor markers (TMs) are useful in diagnosing, treating, and predicting prognosis of gastric cancer (GC). The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was also recently found to be useful in predicting GC prognosis.MethodsThe PNI and serum levels of CEA and CA19-9 of 453 patients with GC were measured to examine correlations between those levels and patients’ prognoses.ResultsOf the 453 patients, 84 (18.5%) were positive for CEA and/or CA19-9 and therefore considered positive for TMs. Prognosis of patients who were TM+ was significantly worse than for those who were TM−. Mean PNI was 48.2 (range 27.7–63.6). ROC analysis indicated that 46.7 was the optimal PNI cutoff value. Prognosis of patients in the PNILow group (<46.7) was significantly worse than in the PNIHigh group (≥46.7). Prognosis of patients who were both TM+ and PNILow was significantly worse than that of patients who were either TM+ or PNILow and those who were both TM− and PNIHigh. Multivariate analysis indicated that combination of TM and PNI was an independent prognostic indicator.ConclusionsThe combination of TM and PNI offers accurate information about a patient’s prognosis.

A high number of IgG4-positive cells in gastric cancer tissue is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis

IgG4-related disease is a newly defined disease characterized by elevated serum IgG4 levels and infiltration of affected organs by IgG4-positive plasma cells. Recently, increased IgG4 levels were reported to be closely related with malignancy. To assess the relationship between IgG4 and the progression of gastric cancer, we immunohistochemically stained in this study gastric cancer tissue samples for IgG4-positive cells using an anti-IgG4 antibody. In addition, pre- and postoperative serum concentrations of IgG4 were measured, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In gastric cancer samples, the number of CD138-positive plasma cells was significantly lower and the number of IgG4-positive cells significantly higher than in non-cancerous gastric mucosa. The number of IgG4-positive cells was significantly correlated with gross tumor appearance, tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, venous invasion, and lymphatic invasion. Prognosis was significantly poorer in patients with a high number of IgG4-positive cells than in those with a low number. Multivariate analysis indicated that both the number of IgG4-positive cells and the depth of tumor invasion were independently prognostic of survival. In conclusion, in gastric cancer, the number of IgG4-positive cells is increased and this is closely associated with gastric cancer progression.

Combined analysis of the pre- and postoperative neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio predicts the outcomes of patients with gastric cancer

PurposeThe neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a biochemical marker of the systemic inflammatory response and has been associated with prognosis for various types of cancer. This retrospective study investigates the relationship between the pre- and postoperative NLR and the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.MethodsThe subjects were 280 patients who underwent curative surgery for histopathologically diagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma.ResultsThe preoperative NLR was significantly correlated with tumor size, tumor depth, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and disease stage. In contrast, there was no correlation between the postoperative NLR and the various clinicopathological variables. Prognosis was significantly worse for patients with a high preoperative NLR than for those with a low preoperative NLR. Prognosis was also significantly worse for patients with a high postoperative NLR than for those with a low postoperative NLR. Furthermore, the prognosis was worse for gastric cancer patients whose pre- and postoperative NLRs were both high. Multivariate analysis indicated that a high pre- and postoperative NLR was an independent prognostic indicator.ConclusionsThe combination of pre- and postoperative NLRs appears to be useful for predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

Differences in quality of surgery for advanced gastric cancer between institutions

SummaryBackgroundGastric cancer is one of the most common diseases in Japan, and surgery for gastric cancer is conducted in many general hospitals. However, there has been little investigation of the differences between institutions in terms of postoperative results in gastric cancer patients. This study aimed to compare the quality of treatment for gastric cancer between university hospital and general hospital.MethodsWe previously performed a multicenter trial in patients with stage II or III gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery followed by adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy. We selected 39 patients with similar backgrounds from this cohort: 16 from the Tottori University Hospital and 23 from a general hospital (Tottori Prefectural Central Hospital). Quality of surgery, postoperative patient nutrition and immunity, relapse-free survival, and overall survival were compared between the two groups.ResultsOperation time was significantly longer, but postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the university group. Postoperative neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and prognostic nutritional index improved significantly in the university group but remained unchanged in the general-hospital group. Relapse-free survival and overall survival both were better in the university group compared with the general-hospital group, although the difference in relapse-free survival was not significant.ConclusionsSurgery and follow-up for advanced gastric cancer should be conducted by trained surgeons and gastric cancer specialists.

Postoperative ratio of the maximum C-reactive protein level to the minimum peripheral lymphocyte count as a prognostic indicator for gastric cancer patients

PurposeInflammation, together with immune and nutritional status, are associated with the progression of various cancer types. We evaluated the prognostic significance of the postoperative ratio (post-CLR) of the maximum C-reactive protein value (post-CRPMax) to the minimum peripheral lymphocyte count (post-LCMin) in patients with gastric cancer (GC).MethodsThe subjects of this retrospective study were 227 patients who underwent curative surgery for histopathologically diagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma.ResultsThe 5-year overall survival (OS) rates differed significantly between the post-CLRHigh (≥ 152.6) group and the post-CLRLow (< 152.6) group for all patients (45.0% vs. 68.4%, respectively; P < 0.001). The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were also significantly related to post-CLR for all patients, (80.6% vs. 64.3% for the post-CLRLow and the post-CLRHigh groups, respectively; P = 0.002). Among patients without infectious complications, the CLR affected both the 5-year OS rate (48.4% vs. 69.2% for the post-CLRHigh and the post-CLRLow groups, respectively; P = 0.006) and the 5-year DSS rate (80.2% vs. 67.0% for the post-CLRLow and the post-CLRHigh groups, respectively; P = 0.027). Multivariate analysis revealed that post-CLR was an independent prognostic indicator for both the OS and DSS of all patients.ConclusionsOur finding show that the post-CLR can help predict the prognosis of GC patients.

Serum level of C-reactive protein on postoperative day 3 is a predictive indicator of postoperative pancreatic fistula after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a serious complication after gastrectomy for gastric cancer. It is vitally important to detect signs of POPF in the early postoperative period and perform adequate management to avoid patient death. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive indicators of POPF after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer.