Laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer: experience with more than 600 cases.
BACKGROUND
Among the less invasive operations noted in recent years, laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer has become popular because of advances in surgical techniques. The authors performed laparoscopic gastrectomy with regional lymph node dissection for 612 cases of gastric malignancies between March 1998 and August 2006. The technique and results of laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer are presented.


METHODS
Of the 612 gastric malignancy cases, distal gastrectomy was performed in 485 cases, proximal gastrectomy in 42 cases, and total gastrectomy in 85 cases. In all the cases, D1 or D2 lymph node dissection was performed according to the general rule of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association.


RESULTS
Quicker recovery was observed in the laparoscopic gastrectomy cases than in the open cases. The postoperative complications with this technique were within a permissible range. No statistical difference was seen in the survival curve after surgery between the laparoscopic group of advanced cases preoperatively diagnosed as surgical T2N1 or lower and the open group.


CONCLUSIONS
The laparoscopic technique is not only less invasive, but also similarly safe and curative compared with open gastrectomy.
Tanimura
S
S
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, 2-13-22, Miyakojimahondoori, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka, 534-0021, Japan. Stoghjpn@aol.com
Higashino
M
M
Fukunaga
Y
Y
Takemura
M
M
Tanaka
Y
Y
Fujiwara
Y
Y
Osugi
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome