The purpose of this study is to determine whether it is possible to evaluate patients with pN2 or pN3 early gastric cancer (EGC) as being in an advanced stage before and during the operation.

1,430 patients underwent a gastrectomy for cancer from 1990 to 2003. Eight of the 552 patients with EGC included pN2 or pN3. The estimated clinical and surgical stage before and during the operation were compared to the pathological results, and a follow-up of progression was done.

The patients were evenly distributed among all age groups with seven men and one woman. The pre-operative estimate of T1 by CT was 25% (2/8). In the main, the cT stage was over estimated. The estimate of over N2 was 50% (4/8). One patient was preoperatively staged as Ia . sT1 during operation was 57.1% (4/7), and the estimate of over N2 was 67% (4/6). Two patients were intraoperatively evaluated as Ia. Only one patient survived over 5 years, and the mean survival of these patients was 15 months (95% CI: 0~35.5).

It was generally possible to evaluate patients with EGC of over pN2 as being in an advanced stage before and during the operation. Although very rare (2/552, 0.04%), there were EGC patients whose stages were not predictable at all. Therefore, more precise preoperative and intraoperative staging methods are warranted.