Lymph node ratio is an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer after curative resection (R0) regardless of the examined number of lymph nodes.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of the ratio between metastatic and examined lymph nodes (N ratio) in gastric cancer patients with <15 examined lymph nodes after curative resection.

Methods: A retrospective study of 710 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy (R0) for gastric cancer from January 1980 to December 2000 was analyzed statistically to identify the N ratio. Patients with <15 examined lymph nodes (group 1, n=327) and those with ≥15 examined lymph nodes (group 2, n=383) were analyzed separately.