title: Is the 5-ports approach necessary in laparoscopic gastrectomy? Feasibility of reduced-port totally laparoscopic gastrectomy for the treatment of gastric cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Interest of gastric cancer patients in the quality of life postoperatively with respect to reduced scarring is increasing. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of reduced-port totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (RepTLG) for the treatment of gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 170 patients who underwent RepTLG (n = 97) or conventional totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (cTLG) (n = 73) were enrolled. Clinicopathological features, operative details, and short-term postoperative outcomes were analyzed retrospectively and compared between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences for preoperative comorbidity between the RepTLG and c TLG groups, although patients in the RepTLG group were older than those in the cTLG group (63.5 ± 11.1 vs. 59.3 ± 10.6; p = 0.014). Operating time was shorter in the RepTLG group compared to the cTLG group (187.5 ± 67.7 min vs. 219.6 ± 43.3 min; p < 0.001) and duration of flatus of the RepTLG group was shorter than that of the cTLG group (2.7 ± 0.6 days vs. 2.9 ± 0.8 days; p = 0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RepTLG is a reliable scar reducing method with good operative and short-term outcomes for the treatment of gastric cancer compared with cTLG.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ho Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: painkiller9@catholic.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Han Hong
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061646:Operative Time; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Gastrectomy; Laparoscopic surgery; Minimal invasive surgery; Stomach neoplasm; Surgical instruments