Anatomical analysis of gastric lymph nodes in cancer–free individuals

Lymphadenectomy is a crucial part of the surgical therapy for gastric cancer. The number of normal lymph nodes could indicate the number of nodes that need to be retrieved during the procedure. The aim of this study is to analyze the number of lymph nodes in cadavers without gastric cancer according to the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association guidelines. Twenty fresh adult cadavers (14 males, mean age 55, range 24–93 years) were used. Abdominal lymph nodes were dissected and classified according to the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association. For total gastrectomy, the median number of lymph nodes that comprised D1 + dissection was 27 (range 15–42). The median and mean number of lymph nodes that comprised D2 dissection was 33, ranging from 18 to 50. For distal gastrectomy, the D1 + level comprised a median of 21 lymph nodes (range 11–38), and the D2 level 22 lymph nodes (range 11–39). In conclusion, considering gastrectomy + D2 lymphadenectomy as the standard treatment for gastric cancer, our results show that adequate lymphadenectomy must encompass around 30 lymph nodes. Clin. Anat., 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.