Gastric Cancer Surgery in the US: a Contemporary Trend Analysis of Lymphadenectomy and the Impact of Minimally Invasive Approaches

Background The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend harvesting 16 or more lymph nodes for the adequate staging of gastric adenocarcinoma. This study examines the rate of adequate lymphadenectomy over recent years, its predictors, and its impact on overall survival(OS). Study design The National Cancer Database was utilized to identify patients who underwent surgical treatment for gastric adenocarcinoma between 2006–2019. Trend analysis was performed for lymphadenectomy rates during the study period. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier survival plots, and Cox proportional hazard regression were utilized. Results A total of 57,039 patients who underwent surgical treatment for gastric adenocarcinoma were identified. Only 50.5% of the patients underwent a lymphadenectomy of ≥ 16 nodes. Trend analysis showed that this rate significantly improved over the years, from 35.1% in 2006 to 63.3% in 2019 ( p < .0001). The main independent predictors of adequate lymphadenectomy included high-volume facility with ≥ 31 gastrectomies/year (OR: 2.71; 95%CI:2.46–2.99), surgery between 2015–2019 (OR: 1.68; 95%CI: 1.60–1.75), and preoperative chemotherapy (OR:1.49; 95%CI:1.41–1.58). Patients with adequate lymphadenectomy had better OS than patients who did not: median survival: 59 versus 43 months (Log-Rank: p < .0001). Adequate lymphadenectomy was independently associated with improved OS (HR:0.79; 95%CI:0.77–0.81). Laparoscopic and robotic gastrectomies were independently associated with adequate lymphadenectomy compared to open, OR: 1.11, 95%CI:1.05–1.18 and OR: 1.24, 95%CI:1.13–1.35, respectively. Conclusion Although the rate of adequate lymphadenectomy improved over the study period, a large number of patients still lacked adequate lymph node dissection, negatively impacting their OS despite multimodality therapy. Laparoscopic and robotic surgeries were associated with a significantly higher rate of lymphadenectomy ≥ 16 nodes.