title: Comparative study of laparoscopic vs open gastrectomy in gastric cancer management.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare long-term results of gastric cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic and open gastrectomy in a single unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  From February 2000 to September 2004, all patients with adenocarcinoma of the stomach were assessed to entry in this longitudinal prospective non-randomized trial. Primary endpoint was cancer-related survival and secondary endpoints were overall survival, evaluation of surgical complications and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-eight patients were enrolled. Forty-seven patients were followed-up (range 11-103, median 38 mo). Four patients were lost at follow up. Twenty-two patients underwent a laparoscopic gastric surgery (LGS) and 25 had a standard open procedure (OGS). No statistical difference was found between the two groups in terms of 5 years cancer-related mortality rate (50% vs 52%, P = 1), and 5 years overall mortality rate (54.5% vs 56%, P = 1). Accordingly, cancer-related and overall survival probability by Kaplan-Meier method showed comparable results (P = 0.81 and P = 0.83, respectively). We found no differences in surgical complications in the 2 groups. There was no conversion to open surgery in this series.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LGS is as effective as OGS in the management of advanced gastric cancer. However LGS cannot be recommended routinely over OGS for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Tor Vergata University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy. sica.giuseppe@fastwebnet.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Sica
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iaculli
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Biancone
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Carlo
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scaramuzzo
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fiorani
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gentileschi
authors.forename: Achille L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gaspari
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome