Survival outcomes after sentinel node navigation surgery for early gastric cancer

AIM: This study evaluated the prognosis after sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS) for early gastric cancer. METHODS: For 100 patients who underwent SNNS (between August 13, 2003 and December 17, 2018) at our hospital, the survival outcomes were investigated. RESULTS: (a) SN were detected with a diagnostic accuracy of 0.98. (b) Of seven patients who had positive SN metastasis, three underwent standard gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. Among them, one patient died of recurrence (bone) and the other two patients were alive 4.5 and 14.7 years after surgery. The remaining four patients with positive SN who underwent diminished gastrectomy with lymphatic basin dissection at their request are alive 2.8, 6.0, 6.9 and 10.8 years after surgery without recurrence. (c) No patients who underwent diminished gastrectomy died of gastric cancer after surgery. (d) In the period following diminished gastrectomy, one patient underwent total gastrectomy and five patients underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection, and they survived for longer than 5 years. (e) As a result of SNNS, the gastric cancer‐specific cumulative 5‐year survival rate was 98.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Diminished gastrectomy during SNNS resulted in a satisfactory prognosis. However, regular follow‐up after surgery is needed to detect secondary cancer of the remaining stomach.