title: Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and value of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) for early stage gastric cancer (stages IA, IB, and II).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively assessed 101 cases treated by LADG and compared to 49 contemporaneous cases treated by open distal gastrectomy (DG) between 2001 and 2006. Clinical variables, such as tumor diameter, operation time, blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissected, and length of stay were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumor size (mm) was significantly smaller in the LADG group (p < 0.0001). Although operation time (min) in the two groups was similar (278 +/- 57 vs. 268 +/- 55), mean blood loss was significantly higher in the DG group (139 +/- 181 vs. 460 +/- 301, p < 0.0001). Fewer lymph nodes were harvested in the LADG group (27 +/- 14 vs. 34 +/- 19, p = 0.012). Hospital stay was longer in the DG group (13.3 +/- 8.5 vs. 16.7 +/- 10.5, p = 0.034). There was no mortality in either group. Postoperative surgical complications occurred in six (6%) of the LADG and four (8%) of the DG.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors conclude that laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy is a safe and useful operation for early-stage gastric cancers. If patients are selected properly, laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy can be a curative and minimally invasive treatment for gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan. kiyama@nms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kiyama
authors.forename: Itsuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshiyuki
authors.forename: Shunji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbul
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome