[Laparoscopic gastrectomy in gastric cancer: experience in a series of 56 patients].
BACKGROUND
The study presents the experience of the use of minimally invasive surgery in gastric cancer in our unit of Oesophageal-Gastric Pathology Unit.


METHODS
We present the initial results in 56 patients. The gastric cancer was removed by the use of video-assisted surgery. In 24 patients the tumour was in the lower third of the stomach, in 26 in the middle third, in 3 in gastric fundus and in 3 in cardial region. We perform total or subtotal gastrectomy according to the tumour location and a D2 lymphadenectomy in tumours of the lower third and an extended D1 lymphadenectomy (groups 7, 8, 9 and 11) in the others.


RESULTS
We performed a total gastrectomy in 41 patients (73%) and a subtotal gastrectomy in 15 (27%). The patients were staged with: 14 in stage IA, 5 in stage IB, 11 in stage II, 13 in stage IIIA and 5 in stage IV. The mean number of lymph nodes resected was 26.6. The mean duration of intervention was 223 minutes. Morbidity was 19.6% and a mortality of 3.5%. The mean hospital stay was 9.2 days. The 4-year overall survival rate was 66%. The mean follow-up was 19 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Postoperative results are similar to conventional surgery. We have incorporated laparoscopic procedures and they have no serious consequences on the results. We performed the same gastric resections and lymphadenectomy as in open surgery. Oncology results in the medium to long-term are similar to open surgery.
Roig-García
José
J
Unidad de Cirugía Esofagogástrica. Hospital Universitario Dr. Josep Trueta. Girona. España. jroigg@ono.com
Gironés-Vilá
Jordi
J
Garsot-Savall
Elisenda
E
Puig-Costa
Manel
M
Rodríguez-Hermosa
José
J
Codina-Cazador
Antoni
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D010535:Laparoscopy; D007902:Length of Stay; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery