Publication Name	World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Manuscript ID	125509
Country	Italy

Category	Surgery
Manuscript Type	Opinion Review
Article Title	Beyond station 16: A pathway-aware framework for gallbladder cancer lymphadenectomy after neoadjuvant therapy
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Andrea Cavallaro and Paolo Di Mattia
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Andrea Cavallaro, Department of General Surgery and Medical Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 78, Catania 95123, Italy. andreacavallaro@tiscali.it
Key Words	Gallbladder neoplasms; Lymph node excision; Neoadjuvant therapy; Hepatobiliary surgery; Lymphatic pathways; Para-aortic lymph nodes; Nodal yield; Surgical oncology
Core Tip	Station 16 is better understood as the convergence basin of three gallbladder lymphatic pathways rather than as an isolated boundary. This Opinion Review proposes that pathway-aware reporting may complement lymph-node count by documenting station distribution. The framework remains hypothesis-generating: Selective clearance of stations 13, 17, 14 and 16a2-16b1 should not be considered a standard surgical requirement, and may be discussed only in medically fit responders after neoadjuvant therapy, when systemic progression is absent, R0 resection is realistic and expert hepatobiliary surgery is available.
Citation	Cavallaro A, Di Mattia P. Beyond station 16: A pathway-aware framework for gallbladder cancer lymphadenectomy after neoadjuvant therapy. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; In press

Received	2026-07-09 05:52
Peer-Review Started	2026-07-09 05:52
First Decision by Editorial Office Director
Return for Revision	2026-08-24 03:50
Revised	2026-08-31 14:37
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-09-21 02:40
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-09-21 09:48
Articles in Press	2026-09-21 09:48
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-9366 (online)
Open Access	This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
Copyright	©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
Permissions	For details, please visit: http://www.wjgnet.com/bpg/gerinfo/207
Publisher	Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Website	http://www.wjgnet.com