Abstract: Objective:To investigate the effects of preoperative endoscopic mucosal injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer and intraoperative serosa injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer on the acquisition of lymph nodes in total gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinical data of 118 patients with gastric cancer who underwent total gastrectomy in the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Zhengzhou University between May 2017 and April 2018 were collected. There were 79 males and 39 females, aged from 26 to 81 years, with an average age of 59 years. Of 118 patients, 56 patients undergoing preoperative endoscopic mucosal injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer were divided into observation group and 62 patients undergoing intraoperative serosa injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer were divided into control group. Observation indicators: the total number of lymph node dissected, the number of positive lymph node dissected, the number of lymph node dissected at the first station and the number of lymph node dissected at the second station. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the independent-sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the rank sum test.
Results:The total number of lymph node dissected, the number of positive lymph node dissected, the number of lymph node dissected at the first station, the number of lymph node dissected at the second station of the observation group were 48±16, 3(range, 0-25), 26±9, 23±7, respectively. The above indicators of the control group were 41±13, 4(range, 0-28), 25±8, 16±5, respectively. There were significant differences in the total number of lymph node dissected and the number of lymph node dissected at the second station between the two groups (t=2.494, 6.588, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the number of positive lymph node dissected and the number of lymph node dissected at the first station between the two groups (Z=0.747, t=1.689, P>0.05).
Conclusions:Carbon nanoparticle labeled lymph node staining using preoperative endoscopic mucosal injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer or intraoperative serosa injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer is safe and effective in total gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Compared with intraoperative serosa injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer, preoperative endoscopic mucosal injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer can increase the total number of lymph node dissected, especially the number of lymph node dissected at the second station of gastric cancer.