Evaluation of the endoscopic cure criteria in patients undergoing surgery for early gastric cancer

Background and Objectives: Gastric cancer (GC) prognosis is influenced by the extent of the tumor, lymph node involvement (LNM), and metastasis. Endoscopic resection (ER) or gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy are standard treatments for early GC (EGC). This study evaluated LNM frequency according to eCura categories, clinicopathological characteristics, disease-free (DFS), and overall (OS) survival rates. Methods: We included EGC patients who underwent curative gastrectomy between 2009 and 2020 from our single-center database. Anatomopathological and clinical reports were reviewed to analyze eCura categories. Results: We included 160 EGC patients who underwent gastrectomy with eCura categories A, B, and C, comprising 26.3%, 13.8%, and 60%, respectively. Baseline clinical characteristics showed no intergroup disparities. LNM incidence for A, B, and C was 4.8%, 18.2%, and 19.8%. When evaluating the criteria for ER and its association with eCura categories, we found that 95.2% of eCura A and 100% of eCura B patients had classic or expanded criteria for ER. On the other hand, 97.9% of eCura C patients were referred to surgical resection. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that lymphatic (OR = 5.57, CI95% = 1.45-21.29, p = 0.012) and perineural (OR = 15.8, CI95% = 1.39-179.88, p = 0.026) invasions were associated with a higher risk of LNM. No significant differences in DFS or OS were found among eCura categories. Conclusion: The eCura categories were associated with the occurrence of LNM. In most patients, those with classic and expanded indication criteria for ER were classified as eCura A and B.