Surgical treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma: Are we achieving textbook oncologic outcomes for our patients?

Background and objectives Composite measures are increasingly used to assess quality of care in surgical oncology. We sought to define the incidence of textbook oncologic outcome (TOO) following resection of gastric adenocarcinoma among a large, international cohort of patients. Methods Gastric adenocarcinoma patients undergoing resection between 2000 and 2020 were identified from an international database. TOO was defined as margin-negative resection, examination of >= 16 lymph nodes, no prolonged length-of-stay (LOS), no 30-day mortality, and stage-appropriate receipt of chemotherapy. Results Among a total of 910 patients, 321 patients (35.3%) achieved a postoperative TOO. While failure to evaluate >= 16 lymph nodes (n = 591, 65.0%) and receipt of chemotherapy (n = 651, 71.5%) had the greatest negative impact on the ability to obtain a TOO, no 30-day mortality (n = 880, 96.7%), margin-negative resection (n = 831, 91.3%), and no extended LOS (n = 706, 77.6%) were more commonly achieved. No postoperative complications (OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.31-0.63) and T1a/T1b-stage disease (OR: 2.87; 95% CI: 1.59-5.18) were independently associated with achieving a TOO (p < 0.05). The odds of achieving a TOO improved over time (p-trend < 0.05), which was largely attributable to improved odds of evaluating >= 16 lymph nodes (2010-2014 vs. 2000-2004: OR, 5.21; 95% CI: 3.22-8.45). Conclusions Only about one in three patients achieved a TOO following resection of gastric adenocarcinoma. Odds of TOO increased over time, largely due to improved lymph node evaluation.

Automated summary

Only about one in three patients achieved a textbook oncologic outcome following resection of gastric adenocarcinoma. The odds of achieving a textbook oncologic outcome increased over time, largely due to improved lymph node evaluation.