2016 Volume 30 Issue 4 Pages 673-681
This study aimed to evaluate the nodal status in the 6th edition of the Japanese TNM classification for gallbladder cancer. A total of 183 patients undergoing radical resection for gallbladder carcinoma were analyzed. Survival distinction was found between N0 and N1 groups of the 6th edition (p<0.001). The number of positive nodes stratified patient survival effectively; the 5-year survival rates for patients with 0, 1-3, and ≥4 positive nodes were 77%, 49%, and 15%, respectively (p<0.001). In this study, Stage IIIB comprises T2N1M0 and T3N1M0; survival after resection was significantly better in the former group than in the latter group (p<0.001) and in the Stage IIIA group (p=0.013). In gallbladder carcinoma, it appears that the adoption of the number of positive nodes should be considered when classifying patients according to nodal status and that staging of patients with regional nodal disease should be reconsidered.
