title: Laparoscopic radical gastrectomy versus traditional open surgery in elderly patients with gastric cancer: Benefits and complications.
abstract: This study was conducted to compare the therapeutic effect and complications of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (LRG) with those of traditional open surgery in elderly patients with gastric cancer (GC). We conducted a retrospective comparison of therapeutic efficacy and complications between elderly patients with GC (defined as those aged ≥70 years) who received laparoscopic gastrectomy and those who underwent gastrectomy by open surgery. A total of 108 patients who either underwent laparoscopic surgery (n=54) or traditional open surgery (n=54) at the General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region between June, 2008 and March, 2009 were analyzed. Compared to traditional open surgery, LRG exhibited several advantages, such as being less invasive, with less intraoperative blood loss, shorter bedbound time, less intubation time, low frequency of fever, less time to normal diet, shorter hospital stay and a low overall incidence of complications. No significant difference was observed between laparoscopic and open surgery in terms of operative time and number of lymph nodes dissected. The 3-year cancer recurrence and mortality rates were similar in the two groups. In conclusion, LRG is a safe and effective procedure for the management of GC in elderly patients and was found to be superior to traditional open surgery regarding the short-term curative effect. Therefore, LRG represents a feasible and safe surgical approach for elderly patients with GC.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaopeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wankun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Xijing Hospital of Digestive Disease, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qingchuan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Xinqiao Hospital, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
keywords: curative effect; gastric cancer; laparoscopic radical gastrectomy; prognosis; traditional open surgery