Risk factors of lymphatic metastasis complement poor radiological detection in gallbladder cancer

Abstract

AIM: To explore risk factors of lymphatic metastasis (LM) in gallbladder cancer, and their potential to complement unsatisfactory radiological detection. METHODS: Radiological detection of LM by computed tomography (CT) was reported to fail in more than 60% of patients with pathological LM. In order to find risk factors highly suggestive of LM other than radiological manifestations, the documents of 63 patients were analyzed statistically. Except for 4 patients having T1a disease, in whom cholecystectomy is enough for radical resection, 59 patients underwent lymphadenectomy with at least 3 lymph nodes dissected. Fifty point eight percent (32/63) of patients were found to have LM during pathological examination. The median number of dissected lymph nodes was 6 (range 3-20). RESULTS: Only 31.3% (10/32) of patients with LM were detected by CT. Through multivariate analysis, two risk factors of LM were discovered as age < 60 years (OR = 6.24; P < 0.01) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 elevation (OR = 5.70; P < 0.05). By analysis of patients with pathological LM but failed to be detected by CT, 81.8% (18/22) of patients had at least one risk factor, including 31.3% (10/32) who had the risk factor of age < 60 years, and 37.5% (12/32) who had the risk factor of CA 19-9 elevation. Besides, among patients with LM (n = 32), those whose age were younger than 60 years (OR = 3.41; P < 0.05) were more likely to have 3 or more positive lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: Age < 60 years and CA 19-9 elevation could complement radiological detection of LM. Patients aged < 60 years are at higher risk of multiple positive nodes. © 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.