A Case of Advanced Gastric Cancer with Para-Aortic Lymph Node Metastasis Treated with Preoperative FOLFOX Chemotherapy Followed by Radical Subtotal Gastrectomy and D2 Lymph Node Dissection

We report the case of a 73-year-old female who was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy was used to diagnose Borrmann type 3 advanced gastric cancer located at the gastric antrum. A biopsy revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-CT (FDG-PET-CT) scans demonstrated multiple lymph node metastases, including the para-aortic lymph nodes. Systemic chemotherapy with 5-fluoruracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin, and leucovorin (FOLFOX) was initiated. An abdominopelvic CT scan taken after 4 cycles of chemotherapy showed improvement in the ulceroinfiltrative gastric lesion and marked regression of several enlarged lymph nodes. Consequently, we performed a subtotal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy. The postoperative histopathological report was early gastric carcinoma with no lymph node metastasis in the 48 resected lymph nodes. Another 4 cycles of FOLFOX chemotherapy were performed after surgery. A FDG-PET-CT scan taken 12 months postoperatively showed no definite evidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis, and the previously noted retroperitoneal lymph nodes had disappeared. A FDG-PET-CT taken 16 months postoperatively showed multiple lymph node metastases, including the left supraclavicular lymph node. Despite 8 cycles of secondary chemotherapy with 5-FU, irinotecan, and leucovorin (FOLFIRI) and radiotherapy, the patient died 38 months after the operation.