Is it necessary to confirm negative margins in gastrectomy for peritoneal lavage cytology-positive gastric cancer?

Abstract

Background/Aim: The survival benefit of negative resection margins in patients who undergo gastrectomy with positive peritoneal lavage cytology (CY1) is unknown. Patients and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 128 patients with CY1 but no other distant metastases who had undergone R1 gastrectomy, 21 of whom had positive margins. We compared overall survival (OS) according to margin status. Results: The positive-margin group had poorer performance status scores (p=0.02), higher number of patients had undergone limited lymphadenectomy (p=0.01), had type 4 tumors (p=0.01), and undifferentiated type (p=0.02). Median OS was 19.0 and 16.9 months in the groups with negative and positive margins, respectively (HR=1.26, 95%CI=0.75-2.12, p=0.39). An inverse probability of treatment weighted analysis showed an OS of 13.1 and 11.9 months for the groups with negative and positive margins, respectively (HR=0.83, 95%CI=0.43-1.63, p=0.59). Conclusion: The prognoses of patients with CY1 and negative or positive margins may be equivalent.