Multimodality Therapy, Followed by Laparoscopic Gastrectomy, for Unresectable Gastric Cancer With Outlet Obstruction and Bulky N2 Metastases.

Background: Patients who have gastric cancer with outlet obstruction (GCOO) and bulky N2 metastases cannot undergo curative resection and tolerate chemotherapy poorly, which may be improved by multimodality therapy (MMT) combined with laparoscopic gastrectomy.

Patients and methods: The records of patients with GCOO and bulky N2 metastases who received MMT including nasojejunal feeding combined with preoperative chemotherapy (PCT), followed by laparoscopic exploration [enteral nutritional (EN) group] in sequence or laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy (LGJ) before PCT plus laparoscopic gastrectomy (LGJ group) were retrospectively reviewed. Prognostic Nutritional Index, gastric outlet obstruction scoring system grade, quality of life, response to PCT, surgical outcomes, and long-term survival were analyzed.

Results: Fifty-four consecutive patients with GCOO and bulky N2 metastases were identified. The Prognostic Nutritional Index and Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 score of patients were significantly improved as a result of multimodal therapy, but no superiority was demonstrated between the EN group and the LGJ group. The quality of life (52.6 ± 11.4 vs 68.2 ± 13.5, P = 0.036) and gastric outlet obstruction scoring system (P < 0.05) of patients in the LGJ group were better compared with the EN group. The rate of laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy (94.3% vs 92.9%, P = 0.64) and R0 resection (91.4% vs 92.9%, P = 0.53) in the EN group was similar to the LGJ group. There were no significant differences for the 5-year overall survival rate (63.2% vs 57.1, P = 0.86) and the 5-year relapse-free survival rate (42.9% vs 53.8%, P = 0.54) of patients in the EN group compared with the LGJ group.

Conclusions: MMT including EN support or laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy followed by laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy is a feasible and effective treatment for patients with GCOO and bulky N2 metastases.