[Gastrectomy and laparoscopic lymphadenectomy for carcinoma: preliminary experience with 59 cases].
BACKGROUND
Laparoscopic surgery has been used in the treatment of gastric cancer with low mortality and morbidity and improvement in patient's quality of life.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the results of laparoscopic gastric resection.


METHODS
A retrospective review of 59 patients after laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer was performed. The patients were 31 males and 28 females with a mean age of 67 (+/- 11) years (min 39, max 90).


RESULTS
Tumor stage was IA in 15 patients, IB in 10, II in 9, IIIA in 6, IIIB in 9, and IV in 10. In 15 cases the tumor was an early gastric cancer. The mean number of dissected lymph nodes was 29 +/-10. Conversion rate was 16%. Morbidity rate was 37%. The median length of hospital stay was 10 days. Operative mortality was 3%. The mean time of follow-up was 23 months. Two-year survival was 75%.


CONCLUSIONS
Laparoscopic radical total or subtotal gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer is a feasible, safe, and oncologically effective procedure.
Orsenigo
E
E
Dipartimento Assistenziale di Scienze Chirurgiche, Università Vita-Salute, Istituto Scientifico Universitario San Raffaele, Milano.
Carlucci
M
M
Tomajer
V
V
Di Palo
S
S
Baccari
P
P
Tamburini
A
A
Mereu
A
A
Staudacher
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies