Significance of invasive features of tumor cells for lymphogenic metastasis in intestinal and diffuse types of gastric carcinoma

The relationship between parameters characterizing invasive features of tumor cells and lymphogenic metastasis was studied. The study was carried out using surgical specimens from 51 patients with intestinal-type gastric carcinoma and from 39 patients with diffuse-type gastric carcinoma, who received no neoadjuvant therapy. Tumor stage was T1-3N0-2M0. There were 53 % male and 47 % female patients with a median age of 58.2±10.5 years. Invasion potential was assessed by two criteria: depth of growth into gastric walls and tumor stroma retraction (presence of slit-like cavity) around grandular-like, trabecular, solid structures and discrete groups of tumor cells. In intestinal-type gastric cancer, the depth of invasion with discrete groups in majority of tumor cells was found to be related to the frequency of lymphogenic metastasis but retraction around the same elements to the number of involved lymph nodes. No such relation was found in diffuse-type gastric cancer.