Early gastric cancer with juxta regional lymph node metastases.

During the 12 years from 1977 to 1988, a total of 425 cases of early gastric cancer (EGC) were treated by resection. Of these, 53 (13%) had lymph node metastases, occurring in 6 cases of mucosal cancer (m-cancer) and 47 cases of submucosal cancer (sm-cancer). Among the patients with positive lymph node metastases, 46 (87%) had metastases in the Group 1 perigastric regional nodes, and 8 (2%) had metastases in Group 2 lymph node. These data support the general view that lymph node metastasis occurs in only 2-5% of m-cancers and 15-20% of sm-cancers, and then mainly in Group 1 lymph nodes. A rare case of early cancer with Group 3 juxta regional lymph node metastasis (n3+) is described in this report with special attention to the surgical management and postoperative chemotherapy.