A case of single lymph node metastasis near the common hepatic artery following a curative endoscopic resection for gastric mucosal cancer

Although the absolute indication for endoscopic resection (ER) in gastric cancer is widely accepted, expanded indication for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is still regarded as investigational because of the risk of concomitant lymph node (LN) metastasis or recurrence following ESD. However, LN metastasis in early gastric cancer confined to absolute indication for ER cannot be negligible. Herein we report a 72-year-old man who underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for LN metastasis around the common hepatic artery following curative ESD to the lesion that had met as an absolute indication for ER 1 year ago. There was only one metastatic LN near the common hepatic artery (LN 8), without malignancy at the ESD site or other harvested LNs.