title: Gastric cancer: Current status of lymph node dissection.
abstract: D2 procedure has been accepted in Far East as the standard treatment for both early (EGC) and advanced gastric cancer (AGC) for many decades. Recently EGC has been successfully treated with endoscopy by endoscopic mucosal resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection, when restricted or extended Gotoda's criteria can be applied and D1+ surgery is offered only to patients not fitted for less invasive treatment. Furthermore, two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have been demonstrating the non inferiority of minimally invasive technique as compared to standard open surgery for the treatment of early cases and recently the feasibility of adequate D1+ dissection has been demonstrated also for the robot assisted technique. In case of AGC the debate on the extent of nodal dissection has been open for many decades. While D2 gastrectomy was performed as the standard procedure in eastern countries, mostly based on observational and retrospective studies, in the west the Medical Research Council (MRC), Dutch and Italian RCTs have been conducted to show a survival benefit of D2 over D1 with evidence based medicine. Unfortunately both the MRC and the Dutch trials failed to show a survival benefit after the D2 procedure, mostly due to the significant increase of postoperative morbidity and mortality, which was referred to splenopancreatectomy. Only 15 years after the conclusion of its accrual, the Dutch trial could report a significant decrease of recurrence after D2 procedure. Recently the long term survival analysis of the Italian RCT could demonstrate a benefit for patients with positive nodes treated with D2 gastrectomy without splenopancreatectomy. As nowadays also in western countries D2 procedure can be done safely with pancreas preserving technique and without preventive splenectomy, it has been suggested in several national guidelines as the recommended procedure for patients with AGC.
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Degiuli
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Manzoni
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Leo
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Ugo
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Galasso
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marrelli
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Petrioli
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Polom
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roviello
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santullo
authors.affiliation: Maurizio Degiuli, Erica Galasso, Mario Morino, Department of Surgery, University of Turin, Citta della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morino
mesh_terms: D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D005773:Gastroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D012307:Risk Factors; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures; D013156:Splenectomy; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: D1 gastrectomy; D1 plus gastrectomy; D2 gastrectomy; Gastric cancer; Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy; Lymph node dissection; Lymphadenectomy; Robot assisted lymphadenectomy