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Importance: Splenic hilar lymphadenectomy has been recommended for locally advanced proximal gastric cancer (APGC) involving the greater curvature. However, it is unclear whether laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (LSPSHL) is associated with a long-term survival benefit for APGC without greater curvature invasion., Objective: To present the 5-year follow-up data from a randomized clinical trial that compared laparoscopic total gastrectomy (D2 group) with D2 plus LSPSHL (D2 + No. 10 group) among patients with resectable APGC., Design, Setting, and Participants: This is a post hoc secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial that enrolled 536 patients with potentially resectable APGC (cT2-4a, N0 or N+, and M0) without greater curvature invasion from January 5, 2015, to October 10, 2018. All patients were tracked for at least 5 years. The final follow-up was on October 30, 2023., Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the D2 + No. 10 or D2 groups., Main Outcomes and Measures: The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were measured. Recurrence patterns and causes of death were compared., Results: A total of 526 patients (392 men [74.5%]; mean [SD] age, 60.6 [9.6] years) were included in the modified intent-to-treat analysis, with 263 patients in each group. The 5-year DFS rate was 63.9% (95% CI, 58.1%-69.7%) for the D2 + No. 10 group and 55.1% (95% CI, 49.1%-61.1%) for the D2 group (log-rank P = .04). A statistically significant difference was observed in the 5-year OS between the D2 + No. 10 group and the D2 group (66.2% [95% CI, 60.4%-71.9%] vs 57.4% [95% CI, 51.4%-63.4%]; log-rank P = .03). The No. 10 lymph node exhibited a therapeutic value index (TVI) of 6.5, surpassing that of Nos. 8a (TVI, 3.0), 11 (TVI, 5.8), and 12a (TVI, 0.8). A total of 86 patients in the D2 + No. 10 group (cumulative incidence, 32.7%) and 111 patients in the D2 group (cumulative incidence, 42.2%) experienced recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.54-0.95; P = .02). The multivariable competing risk regression model demonstrated that D2 + No. 10 remained an independent protective factor for a lower 5-year cumulative recurrence rate after surgery (hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.56-1.00; P = .05). There was a significant difference in the 5-year cumulative recurrence rate at the No. 10 lymph node area between the 2 groups (D2 + No. 10 group vs D2 group: 0% vs 2.3% [n = 6]; P = .01)., Conclusions: This post hoc secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial found that laparoscopic total gastrectomy with LSPSHL can improve the prognosis and reduce recurrence for APGC without greater curvature invasion. Future multicenter studies are warranted to validate these findings., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02333721.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of indocyanine green (ICG)-guided lymph node (LN) dissection during laparoscopic radical gastrectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC)., Background: Studies on ICG imaging use in patients with LAGC on NAC are rare., Methods: Patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (clinical T2-4NanyM0) who received NAC were randomly assigned to receive ICG-guided laparoscopic radical gastrectomy or laparoscopic radical gastrectomy alone. Here, we reported the secondary endpoints including the quality of lymphadenectomy (total retrieved LNs and LN noncompliance) and surgical outcomes., Results: Overall, 240 patients were randomized. Of whom, 236 patients were included in the primary analysis (118 in the ICG group and 118 in the non-ICG group). In the ICG group, the mean number of LNs retrieved was significantly higher than in the non-ICG group within the D2 dissection (48.2 vs 38.3, P < 0.001). The ICG fluorescence guidance significantly decreased the LN noncompliance rates (33.9% vs 55.1%, P = 0.001). In 165 patients without baseline measurable LNs, ICG significantly increased the number of retrieved LNs and decreased the LN noncompliance rate ( P < 0.05). For 71 patients with baseline measurable LNs, the quality of lymphadenectomy significantly improved in those who had a complete response ( P < 0.05) but not in those who did not ( P > 0.05). Surgical outcomes were comparable between the groups ( P > 0.05)., Conclusions: ICG can effectively improve the quality of lymphadenectomy in patients with LAGC who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy after NAC., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Robotic surgery may be an alternative to laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer (GC). However, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the differences in survival between these two approaches are currently lacking. From September 2017 to January 2020, 300 patients with cT1-4a and N0/+ were enrolled and randomized to either the robotic (RDG) or laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) group (NCT03313700). The primary endpoint was 3-year disease-free survival (DFS); secondary endpoints reported here are the 3-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence patterns. The remaining secondary outcomes include intraoperative outcomes, postoperative recovery, quality of lymphadenectomy, and cost differences, which have previously been reported. There were 283 patients in the modified intention-to-treat analysis (RDG group: n = 141; LDG group: n = 142). The trial has met pre-specified endpoints. The 3-year DFS rates were 85.8% and 73.2% in the RDG and LDG groups, respectively (p = 0.011). Multivariable Cox regression model including age, tumor size, sex, ECOG PS, lymphovascular invasion, histology, pT stage, and pN stage showed that RDG was associated with better 3-year DFS (HR: 0.541; 95% CI: 0.314-0.932). The RDG also improved the 3-year cumulative recurrence rate (RDG vs. LDG: 12.1% vs. 21.1%; HR: 0.546, 95% CI: 0.302-0.990). Compared to LDG, RDG demonstrated non-inferiority in 3-year DFS rate., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Sarcopenic obesity may affect the health outcome of people with obesity after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). To assess the impact of sarcopenic obesity (SO) on weight loss outcomes and improvement of quality of life after LSG., Materials and Methods: This observational study included patients who underwent LSG with SO (99 patients) or without SO (146 patients) from a single center. The primary endpoint was weight loss and disease-specific quality of life in patients with or without SO after the operation. Fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) were calculated based on the L3-level images of preoperative CT scans. SO was diagnosed if FM/FFM ≥ 0.80., Results: Operative time and postoperative hospital stay days were longer in the SO group (p < 0.001). After LSG, weight, BMI, and EBMI were significantly lower in the NSO group than in the SO group (all P < 0.05), while %EWL and the number of patients with %EWL ≥ 100% were significantly lower in the SO group (both p < 0.05). The total BAROS scores of patients in the NSO group were higher than those in the SO group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the MA II questionnaire assessment showed a lower percentage of "very good" and "good" outcomes in the SO group (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Patients with SO take a slower rate, longer time to reach the ideal weight, and lower quality of life self-ratings than NSO patients after LSG. Thus, preoperative evaluation and tailoring rehabilitation guidance for people with SO should be accounted., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The results of several large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have changed the clinical practice of bariatric surgery. However, the characteristics of global RCTs of bariatric surgery have not been reported internationally and whether there was research waste in these RCTs is unknown., Methods: Search ClinicalTrials.gov for bariatric surgery RCTs registered between January 2000 and December 2022 with the keywords 'Roux-en-Y gastric-bypass' and 'Sleeve Gastrectomy'. The above analysis was conducted in January 2023., Results: A total of 326 RCTs were included in this study. The number of RCTs registered for sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgery increased year by year globally. Europe has always accounted for the largest proportion, Asia has gradually increased, and North America has decreased. A total of 171 RCTs were included in the analysis of waste, of which 74 (43.8%) were published. Of the 74 published RCTs, 37 (37/74, 50.0%) were judged to be adequately reported and 36 (36/74, 48.6%) were judged to have avoidable design defects. In the end, 143 RCTs (143/171, 83.6%) had at least one research waste. Body weight change as the primary endpoint (OR: 0.266, 95% CI: 0.103-0.687, P =0.006) and enrolment greater than 100 (OR: 0.349, 95% CI: 0.146-0.832, P =0.018) were independent protective factors for research waste., Conclusions: This study for the first time describes the characteristic changes of the mainstream RCT of bariatric surgery globally in the last 20 years and identifies a high research waste burden and predictive factor in this area, which provides reference evidence for carrying out bariatric surgery RCTs more rationally., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging is effective in increasing the number of lymph node dissections during laparoscopic radical gastrectomy; however, no studies have attempted to explain this phenomenon., Methods: This study utilized the data from a previous randomized controlled trial (FUGES-012 study) investigating ICG-guided laparoscopic radical gastrectomy performed between November 2018 and July 2019. The Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills (OSATS) scoring system was used to grade videos from the ICG and non-ICG groups. Patients with an OSATS score greater than 29 were classified as the high-OSATS population, while those with an OSATS score less than or equal to 29 were classified as the low-OSATS population., Results: A total of 258 patients were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis: 129 in the ICG group and 129 in the non-ICG group. The OSATS score of the ICG group was higher than that of the non-ICG group (29.6±2.6 vs. 26.6±3.6; P <0.001). The ICG group underwent a significantly higher mean total number of lymph node dissections than the non-ICG group (50.5±15.9 vs. 42.0±10.3; adjusted P <0.001). The group assigned to ICG use, better OSATS (high-OSATS) scores were observed, which correlated with greater D2 lymph node retrieval (54.1±15.0 vs. 47.2±8.7; adjusted P =0.039). Finally, the ICG group had a lower rate of lymph node noncompliance than that of the non-ICG group (31.8 vs. 57.4%; P <0.001)., Conclusions: By applying the ICG fluorescence navigation technique, better OSATS scores were observed, which correlated with greater lymph node retrieval and a lower lymph node noncompliance rate, as recommended for individualized laparoscopic radical gastrectomy., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC) are increasing, yet the evidence of the relationship between the learning curve and long-term outcomes is limited., Aims: To analyze the relationship between the learning curve and survival in GC patients over a 10-year period., Methods: This retrospective cohort study studied 3674 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Cusum and Cox regression analysis were used to assess the association between the surgeon's experience and the 3 years overall survival (OS)., Results: The 3-year OS of all patients was 71.8 %. This increase of 3-year OS was associated with laparoscopic cases (r = 0.638, p = 0.047). Analysis of the CUSUM curve showed a significant change in the 3-year OS of 1400 cases. Further propensity score matching (PSM) of patients during and after the learning curve (<1400 and ≥ 1400 cases) showed a significant difference in the 3-year OS between the two groups (68.5 % vs. 72.3 %, p = 0.045). Cox regression analysis verified that in ≥1400 cases, prior laparoscopic surgery (p = 0.045), textbook outcome (TO) and the number of retrieved lymph nodes (LNs) were independent protective factors. The LN non-compliance rate was an independent risk factor. In contrast, the rate of TO and the median number of retrieved LNs were significantly higher after the learning curve (≥1400 cases). Furthermore, the rates of LN non-compliance were significantly lower (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Increasing laparoscopic surgical experience is associated with surgical quality and prognostic improvement in patients with gastric cancer. But improvements in outcomes accrued slowly over a long period., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest I confirm that none of the authors have any competing interests in the manuscript., (Copyright © 2023 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging-guided lymphadenectomy has been demonstrated to be effective in increasing the number of lymph nodes (LNs) retrieved in laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC). Previously, we reported the primary outcomes and short-term secondary outcomes of a phase 3, open-label, randomized clinical trial (NCT03050879) investigating the use of ICG for image-guided lymphadenectomy in patients with potentially resectable GC. Patients were randomly (1:1 ratio) assigned to either the ICG or non-ICG group. The primary outcome was the number of LNs retrieved and has been reported. Here, we report the primary outcome and long-term secondary outcomes including three-year overall survival (OS), three-year disease-free survival (DFS), and recurrence patterns. The per-protocol analysis set population is used for all analyses (258 patients, ICG [n = 129] vs. non-ICG group [n = 129]). The mean total LNs retrieved in the ICG group significantly exceeds that in the non-ICG group (50.5 ± 15.9 vs 42.0 ± 10.3, P < 0.001). Both OS and DFS in the ICG group are significantly better than that in the non-ICG group (log-rank P = 0.015; log-rank P = 0.012, respectively). There is a difference in the overall recurrence rates between the ICG and non-ICG groups (17.8% vs 31.0%). Compared with conventional lymphadenectomy, ICG guided laparoscopic lymphadenectomy is safe and effective in prolonging survival among patients with resectable GC., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Importance: It is largely unclear whether robotic distal gastrectomy (RDG) is cost-effective for locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC)., Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of RDG, laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG), and open distal gastrectomy (ODG) for patients with LAGC., Design, Setting, and Participants: Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance baseline characteristics. A decision-analytic model was constructed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of RDG, LDG, and ODG., Exposures: RDG, LDG, and ODG., Main Outcomes and Measures: Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and quality-adjusted life year (QALY)., Results: This pooled analysis of two randomized controlled trials included 449 patients: 117, 254, and 78 patients in the RDG, LDG, and ODG groups, respectively. After IPTW, RDG demonstrated its priority in terms of less blood loss, postoperative length, and complication rate (all P < 0.05). RDG also showed higher QOL with more cost, representing an ICER of $85,739.73 per QALY and $42,189.53 per QALY compared to LDG and ODG, respectively. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, RDG achieved the best cost-effectiveness for patients with LAGC only when the willingness-to-pay threshold was > $85,739.73 per QALY, which significantly exceeded 3 times Chinese per capita GDP. Furthermore, one of the most important factors was the indirect costs of robotic surgery in terms of the cost-effectiveness of RDG compared to that of LDG or ODG., Conclusions and Relevance: Although improved short-term outcomes and QOL were seen in patients underwent RDG, the economic burden should be considered in the clinical decision-making regarding robotic surgery use for patients with LAGC. Our findings may vary in different health care settings and affordability. Trial registration CLASS-01 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, CT01609309) and FUGES-011 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03313700)., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To verify an intraoperative adverse event (iAE) classification (ClassIntra grade) to evaluate quality control and to predict the prognostic performance of laparoscopic radical surgery for gastric cancer., Background: Surgical quality control is a key factor in the evaluation of surgical treatment for tumors. And, there is no recognized iAE classification for gastric cancer., Methods: We performed a retrospective post hoc analysis of previously collected data from the FUGES-001 study (NCT02327481) and a subset of the CLASS-01 study (NCT01609309). Patients were classified into the iAE and non-iAE groups. And iAE was further classified into 5 subgrades according to the ClassIntra grade (with I-V severity categories). Technical performance was evaluated using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills tool and the Generic Error Rating Tool., Results: Overall, 528 gastric cancer patients were included in this study, with 105 patients (19.9%) in the iAE group and 423 (80.1%) in the non-iAE group. The survival curve showed that the overall, disease-specific, and recurrence-free survival of the non-iAE group were significantly better than those of the iAE group ( P =0.001). The prognosis of patients with ClassIntra grade ≥II was significantly worse than that of patients with ClassIntra grade ≤I. A higher ClassIntra grade, lower Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills score, and total gastrectomy were independent risk factors for severe postoperative complications. There was a significant increase in bleeding (grade IV) and injury with splenic hilar lymph node dissection during total gastrectomy., Conclusions: The ClassIntra grade is an effective prognostic and surgical quality control index for laparoscopic radical surgery for gastric cancer; therefore, it could be included in routine hospital care and surgical quality control., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: The survival benefit of laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (LSTG) for locally advanced proximal gastric cancer (APGC) without invasion into the greater curvature remains uncertain., Objective: To compare the long-term and short-term efficacy of LSTG (D2 + No. 10 group) and conventional laparoscopic total gastrectomy (D2 group) for patients with APGC that has not invaded the greater curvature., Design, Setting, and Participants: In this open-label, prospective randomized clinical trial, a total of 536 patients with clinical stage cT2 to 4a/N0 to 3/M0 APGC without invasion into the greater curvature were enrolled from January 2015 to October 2018. The final follow-up was on October 31, 2021. Data were analyzed from December 2021 to February 2022., Interventions: Eligible patients were randomized to the D2 + No. 10 group or the D2 group., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was 3-year disease-free survival (DFS). The secondary outcomes were 3-year overall survival (OS) and morbidity and mortality within 30 days after surgery., Results: Of 526 included patients, 392 (74.5%) were men, and the mean (SD) age was 60.6 (9.6) years. A total of 263 patients were included in the D2 + No. 10 group, and 263 were included in the D2 group. The 3-year DFS was 70.3% (95% CI, 64.8-75.8) for the D2 + No. 10 group and 64.3% (95% CI, 58.4-70.2; P = .11) for the D2 group, and the 3-year OS in the D2 + No. 10 group was better than that in the D2 group (75.7% [95% CI, 70.6-80.8] vs 66.5% [95% CI, 60.8-72.2]; P = .02). Multivariate analysis revealed that splenic hilar lymphadenectomy was not an independent protective factor for DFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.63-1.16) or OS (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.59-1.12). Stratification analysis showed that patients with advanced posterior gastric cancer in the D2 + No. 10 group had better 3-year DFS (92.9% vs 39.3%; P < .001) and OS (92.9% vs 42.9%; P < .001) than those in the D2 group. Multivariate analysis confirmed that patients with advanced posterior gastric cancer could have the survival benefit from No. 10 lymph node dissection (DFS: HR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.02-0.46; OS: HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03-0.52)., Conclusions and Relevance: Although LSTG could not significantly improve the 3-year DFS of patients with APGC without invasion into the greater curvature, patients with APGC located posterior gastric wall may benefit from LSTG., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02333721.

Objective: To compare the short-term outcomes, surgery burden, and technical performance of robotic total gastrectomy (RTG) and laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) for gastric cancer (GC)., Summary of Background Data: The impact of robotic systems on total gastrectomy remains obscure., Methods: This prospective study included 50 patients with advanced proximal GC underwent RTG combined with spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy between March 2018 and February 2020. Patients who underwent LTG in the FUGES-002, http://links.lww.com/SLA/C929 study were enrolled to compare the outcomes between RTG and LTG., Results: After propensity score matching, 48 patients in the RTG group and 96 patients in the LTG group were included in the analysis. The RTG group had a lower volume of intraoperative blood loss than the LTG group (38.7 vs 66.4 mL, P = 0.042). Significantly more extraperigastric lymph nodes were retrieved in the RTG group than in the LTG group (20.2 vs 17.5, P = 0.039). The average number of errors was lower in the RTG group than in the LTG group (43.2 vs 53.8 times/case, P < 0.001). The RTG group had a higher technical skill score (30.2 vs 28.4, P < 0.001) and a lower surgery task load index (33.2 vs 39.8, P < 0.001) than the LTG group. No significant difference was found in terms of postoperative morbidity between the 2 groups (14.6% vs 16.7%, P = 0.748)., Conclusions: In complex total gastrectomy for GC, compared with traditional laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery provides a technically superior operative environment and reduces surgeon workload at high-volume specialized institutions., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Robotic surgery may be advantageous for complex surgery. We aimed to compare the intraoperative and postoperative short-term outcomes of spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (SPSHL) during robotic and laparoscopic total gastrectomy., Methods: From July 2016 to December 2020, the clinicopathological data of 115 patients who underwent robotic total gastrectomy combined with robotic SPSHL (RSPSHL) and 697 patients who underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with laparoscopic SPSHL (LSPSHL) were retrospectively analyzed. A 1:2 ratio propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the differences between the two groups to compare their outcomes. The Generic Error Rating Tool was used to evaluate the technical performance., Results: After PSM, the baseline preoperative characteristics of the 115 patients in the RSPSHL and 230 patients in the LSPSHL groups were balanced. The dissection time of the region of the splenic artery trunk (5.4 ± 1.9 min vs. 7.8 ± 3.6 min, P < 0.001), the estimated blood loss during SPSHL (9.6 ± 4.8 ml vs. 14.9 ± 7.8 ml, P < 0.001), and the average number of intraoperative technical errors during SPSHL (15.1 ± 3.4 times/case vs. 20.7 ± 4.3 times/case, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the RSPSHL group than in the LSPSHL group. The RSPSHL group showed higher dissection rates of No. 10 (78.3% vs. 70.0%, P = 0.104) and No. 11d (54.8% vs. 40.4%, P = 0.012) lymph nodes and significantly improved postoperative recovery results in terms of times to ambulation, first flatus, and first intake (P < 0.05). The splenectomy rates of the two groups were similar (1.7% vs. 0.4%, P = 0.539), and there was no significant difference in morbidity and mortality within postoperative 30 days (13.0% vs. 15.2%, P = 0.589)., Conclusion: Compared to LSPSHL, RSPSHL has more advantages in terms of surgical qualities and postoperative recovery process with similar morbidity and mortality. For complex SPSHL, robotic surgery may be a better choice., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: There is insufficient evidence to evaluate the long-term outcomes of robotic radical gastrectomy. The aim of this study was to compare the radical results and long-term outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy., Methods: We prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed the general clinicopathological data of gastric cancer patients treated with robotic radical gastrectomy (RG) and laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (LG) from July 2016 to July 2018 at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital. The RG cohort was matched 1:3 with the LG cohort by using propensity score matching (PSM). The primary endpoints of the study were 3-year overall survival (OS) and 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS)., Results: The study included 221 patients treated with RG and 1106 patients treated with LG for gastric cancer. After PSM, 211 patients were included in the RG cohort, and 663 patients were included in the LG cohort. The 3-year OS rate was 81.0% in the robotic cohort and 79.3% in the laparoscopic cohort (log-rank test, P = 0.516). The 3-year RFS rate was 78.7% in the robotic cohort and 75.6% in the laparoscopic cohort (log-rank test, P = 0.600). In the subgroup analyses, no significant differences were noted between the RG and LG cohorts in terms of 3-year OS and 3-year RFS (all P > 0.05). The therapeutic value index of each lymph node station dissection in the robotic cohort was comparable to that in the laparoscopic cohort., Conclusion: Robotic radical gastrectomy can achieve radical results and long-term outcomes comparable to laparoscopic surgery, and further multicenter prospective studies can be conducted to assess the clinical efficacy of robotic radical gastrectomy., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Due to the high technical requirements of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (LRG), establishing an effective training system to promote clinical technology and operation specifications is necessary. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a national advanced training program for LRG (ATP-LRG)., Materials and Methods: The contents of the training include the following: 1) detailed technique descriptions; 2) prevention and solving of intraoperative complications; 3) live surgery performance; 4) theory and practice of clinical research; 5) comments on trainees' videos; and 6) questions, answers, and discussions. This retrospective before and after study surveyed 875 trainees from January 2015 to October 2020. Endpoints were general surgical skills (GSS), laparoscopic gastrectomy acceptance (LGA), and clinical research possibilities (CRP). The analysis took place in December 2021., Results: The response rate was 70.5% (617/875). ATP-LRG reportedly had a positive impact on the LRG practice of 99.5% (614/617) of trainees. Their GSS (before vs. after: 16.5 ± 3.7 vs. 20.3 ± 3.1, P < 0.001), LGA (4.2 ± 0.9 vs. 4.6 ± 0.7, P < 0.001), and CRP (2.6 ± 1.2 vs. 3.2 ± 1.1, P < 0.001) significantly improved. The improvement in GSS for those with professional titles of associate chief surgeons and below was significantly higher than that for chief surgeons (4.0 ± 3.0 vs 3.3 ± 2.4, P = 0.017), while those of LGA and CRP were not. The annual number of operations before training was negatively correlated with improvement in GSS (P < 0.001, Pearson's correlation coefficient: 0.14). Multivariate logistic regression showed that those with professional titles of associate chief surgeons and below (odds ratio [OR]: 1.719, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.038-2.846, P = 0.035), and with annual number of operations before training being <60, (OR: 5.257, 95% CI: 2.573-10.742, P < 0.001) were most prone to high-GSS improvement., Conclusion: The nationwide ATP-LRG facilitates the improvement of trainees' GSS, LGA, and CRP levels. Surgeons with lower professional titles and fewer performed operations are most likely to improve their GSS through training., (Copyright © 2022 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Laparoscopic surgical approaches for gastric cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy are increasing, yet there is limited evidence of their safety and effectiveness., Methods: This prospective single-armed clinical trial enrolled 80 neoadjuvant chemotherapy patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy. In addition, to better analyze the outcomes of this study, 1:2 propensity score matching was performed, and a contemporaneous historic control group containing 160 laparoscopic gastrectomy patients without neoadjuvant chemotherapy was established., Results: Analyses were performed to compare the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (n = 80) and the control group (n = 160). The general clinical data of both groups were comparable. The neoadjuvant chemotherapy group showed less intraoperative bleeding (P = .029) and recovered more quickly than the control group (all P < .05). The 2 groups did not exhibit major differences in terms of postoperative complications (P = .679) or severe complications (P = .055). The proportion of patients with ypT4 stage and ypN3 stage disease in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group totaled 20.7% and 23.8%, respectively, which was significantly lower than that observed in the control group (P < .05). The number of metastatic lymph nodes was 4.8 ± 7.0 in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group, which was lower than that in the control group (P < .001). In the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group, the major pathological regression rate was 27.5%, while the objective radiologic response rate (complete response + partial response) was 64.0%. In contrast to nonresponding patients, the patients who experienced an objective response had a shorter operation time (P < .001), less intraoperative bleeding (P < .001), and fewer metastatic lymph nodes (P = .005). The short-term effects observed in the nonresponding patients were similar to those observed in the control group., Conclusion: Laparoscopic gastrectomy could achieve improved short-term outcomes through NACT tumor downstaging without increasing the incidence of postoperative complications. Further multicenter and prospective clinical trials are warranted., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: It remains inconclusive whether laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) has better long-term outcomes when compared with open gastrectomy (OG) for elderly gastric cancer (EGC). We attempted to explore the influence of the immune prognostic index (IPI) on the prognosis of EGCs treated by LG or OG to identify a population among EGC who may benefit from LG., Methods: We included 1539 EGCs treated with radical gastrectomy from January 2007 to December 2016. Propensity score matching was applied at a ratio of 1:1 to compare the LG and OG groups. The IPI based on dNLR ≥ cut-off value (dNLR) and sLDH ≥ cut-off value (sLDH) was developed, characterizing two groups (IPI = 0, good, 0 factors; IPI = 1, poor, 1 or 2 factors)., Results: Of the 528 EGCs (LG: 264 and OG: 264), 271 were in the IPI = 0 group, and 257 were in the IPI = 1 group. In the entire cohort, the IPI = 0 group was associated with good 5-year overall survival (OS) (p = 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.003) compared to the IPI = 1 group; no significant differences in 5-year OS and PFS between the LG and OG groups were observed. In the IPI = 1 cohort, there was no significant difference in OS or PFS between the LG and OG groups across all tumor stages. However, in the IPI = 0 cohort, LG was associated with longer OS (p = 0.015) and PFS (p = 0.018) than OG in stage II EGC, but not in stage I or III EGC. Multivariate analysis showed that IPI = 0 was an independent protective factor for stage II EGC receiving LG, but not for those receiving OG., Conclusion: The IPI is related to the long-term prognosis of EGC. Compared with OG, LG may improve the 5-year survival rate of stage II EGC with a good IPI score. This hypothesis needs to be further confirmed by prospective studies., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The oncologic efficacy of laparoscopic versus open surgery for advanced distal gastric cancer (ADGC) beyond 3 years after surgery remain obscure., Methods: A total of 1256 patients with ADGC at two teaching institutions in China from April 2007 to December 2014 were enrolled. The general data of the two groups were identified to enable rigorous estimation of propensity scores. Restricted mean survival time (RMST) and Landmark analysis was used to compare survival., Results: After matching 461 patients each in the open distal gastrectomy (ODG) and laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) groups, they were included into analysis. The 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival were comparable in two groups. RMST-stratified analysis showed that the 3-year RMST of ODG group was similar to that of LDG group in patients with cT4a (- 1.38 years, p = 0.163) or with cT4a and tumor size > 5 cm, whereas the 5-year RMST had significant differences between groups in cT4a patients(- 8.36 years, P = 0.005) or cT4a and tumor size > 5 cm patients(4.67 years, P = 0.042). In patients with cT4a and tumors > 5 cm, the number of peritoneal recurrences was significantly fewer in the ODG group than in the LDG group (4 vs. 17, P = 0.033), and the peritoneal recurrence time and multiple-site recurrence time were both later in the ODG group., Conclusion: By reducing recurrence, ODG achieves a better survival for GC patients with serous infiltration and tumors larger than 5 cm beyond 3 years after surgery. The present findings can serve as a reference for surgical options and the setting of follow-up time point for clinical studies., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Application of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging is effective in guiding laparoscopic radical lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer. However, the optimal approach for indocyanine green injection is controversial. Therefore, the objective of this study was aimed to compare the efficacy and ICG injection between the preoperative submucosal and intraoperative subserosal approaches for lymph node (LN) tracing during laparoscopic gastrectomy., Method: This randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04219332) included 266 patients with potentially resectable gastric cancer (cT1-T4a, N0/+, M0) enrolled from a tertiary teaching center between December 2019 and October 2020. The primary endpoint was total number of retrieved LNs., Results: In total, 259 patients (n = 130 and n = 129 in the submucosal and subserosal groups, respectively) were included in the per-protocol analysis. There are no significant differences in total number of retrieved LNs between the two groups (49.8 vs. 49.2, P = 0.713). The rate of LN noncompliance in the submucosal group was comparable to that in the subserosal group (32.3% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.860). No significant difference was found between the submucosal and subserosal groups in terms of the incidence (17.7% vs. 16.3%; P = 0.762) or severity of postoperative complications. The mean fluorescence cost in the submucosal group was higher than that in the subserosal group ($335.3 vs. $182.4; P < 0.001). The overall treatment satisfaction score was lower in the submucosal group than in the subserosal group (70.5 vs. 76.1%, P = 0.048)., Conclusion: ICG administered by subserosal injection was comparable to that administered by submucosal injection for lymph node tracing in gastric cancer. However, the former approach imposed a lower economic and mental burden on patients undergoing laparoscopic D2 lymphadenectomy., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04219332 ., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: To investigate the incidence and prognosis of intra-abdominal infectious complications (IaICs) after laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) and open radical gastrectomy (OG) for gastric cancer., Methods: The data of patients who underwent radical gastrectomy (LAG and OG) for gastric cancer at the Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from January 2000 to December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce bias. The incidence and prognosis of postoperative IaICs in the two groups were analyzed., Results: After PSM, no significant difference was found in the baseline data between OG (n = 913) and LAG (n = 913). The incidence of IaICs after OG and LAG was 4.1% and 5.1%, respectively (p = 0.264). The Cox multivariate analysis showed that IaICs were an independent risk factor for overall survival (OS) of patients undergoing gastrectomy (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.65, p < 0.001). Further, LAG was an independent protective factor for OS among the patients with IaICs (HR: 0.54, p = 0.036), while tumor diameter of ≥50 mm (p = 0.01) and pathological TNM stage III (p < 0.001) were independent risk factors. The 5-year OS rate was higher in the patients with IaICs who underwent LAG than in those who underwent OG (51.1% vs. 32.4%, p = 0.042). The prognostic nutritional index was similar in both groups before surgery (p = 0.220) but lower on the first, third, and fifth days after OG than after LAG (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Compared to OG, LAG can improve the prognosis of patients with postoperative IaICs and is therefore recommended for patients at a high risk for IaICs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the short-term outcomes of patients with GC who received RDG or LDG., Summary Background Data: Despite the increasing use of RDG in patients with GC, its safety and efficacy compared to those of LDG have not been elucidated in a randomized controlled trial., Methods: Three hundred patients with cT1-4a and N0/+ between September 2017 and January 2020 were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial at a high-volume hospital in China. The short-term outcomes were compared between the groups., Results: The modified intention-to-treat analysis included data from 283 patients (RDG group: n = 141) and (LDG group: n = 142). Patients in the RDG group exhibited faster postoperative recovery, milder inflammatory responses, and reduced postoperative morbidity (9.2% vs 17.6%, respectively, P = 0.039). Higher extraperigastric lymph nodes (LNs) were retrieved in the RDG group (17.6 ± 5.8 vs 15.8 ± 6.6, P = 0.018) with lower noncompliance rate (7.7% vs 16.9%, respectively, P = 0.006). Additionally, patients in the RDG group were more likely to initiate adjuvant chemotherapy earlier [median (interquartile range) postoperative days: 28 (24-32) vs 32 (26-42), P = 0.003]. Although total hospital costs were higher in the robotic group than in the laparoscopic group, the direct cost was lower for RDG than for LDG (all P < 0.001)., Conclusions: RDG is associated with a lower morbidity rate, faster recovery, milder inflammatory responses, and improved lymphadenectomy. Additionally, faster postoperative recovery in the RDG group enables early initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy. Our results provide evidence for the application of RDG in patients with GC., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Numerous studies have shown that the short-term efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (LG) is comparable to that of two-dimensional (2D)-LG. Whether 3D-LG affects the recurrence patterns of gastric cancer (GC) patients has not been investigated., Methods: From January 2015 to April 2016, a total of 419 patients were recruited for a phase III clinical trial (NCT02327481), which compared the short-term outcomes between the 2D and 3D groups. The long-term efficacy including recurrence patterns was compared between the 2D and 3D groups in this retrospective study. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine whether 3D-LG affects the recurrence patterns., Results: Ultimately, 401 patients were analyzed (197 in the 2D-LG group and 204 in the 3D-LG group), and no differences were observed in the clinicopathological data between the two groups. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the recurrence types, first recurrence time or recurrence-free survival (RFS) (all p > 0.05). According to the 7th American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system, both groups were stratified into pathological stages I, II, and III. The stratified analysis showed no significant differences in RFS or overall survival (OS) among patients in each subgroup (all p > 0.05). The multivariate analysis of RFS showed that tumor diameter, pTNM stage, lymphovascular invasion, and adjuvant chemotherapy were independent factors (all p < 0.05). The multivariate analysis of post-recurrence survival (PRS) showed that adjuvant chemotherapy was an independent protective factor (p = 0.043)., Conclusions: 3D-LG for GC did not differ significantly from 2D-LG in the effects on 3-year recurrence patterns, RFS and OS, which provides more tumor-related evidence for 3D technology. And due to the technological similarity, it may have certain reference value for robotic-assisted gastrectomy. Further multicenter, large-scale clinical trials are warranted.

Background: Well-designed retrospective studies (RSs) and small-sample prospective studies (PSs) evaluating the efficacy of interventions have received much attention. This study was designed to evaluate the differences between well-designed RSs and small-sample randomized controlled trials based on the efficacy of laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) and open distal gastrectomy (ODG) for advanced gastric cancer (GC)., Methods: The clinicopathological data of 1360 patients with GC who underwent DG were analysed. After propensity score matching (1:1), 380 cases (ODG = 190, LDG = 190) were finally selected in a RS. Meanwhile, data from 120 patients (ODG = 60, LDG = 60) who enrolled in a PS were analysed., Results: In the PS, the LDG group had less intraoperative blood loss, shorter time to first flatus, and shorter time to fluid diet than the ODG group. In the RS, the LDG group had less intraoperative blood loss, and a shorter postoperative hospital stay than the ODG group. In the PS, the 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 83.3% in the LDG group and 83.2% in the ODG group (p = 0.877). In the RS, the 3-year OS rate was 68.7% in the LDG group and 66.6% in the ODG group (p = 0.752). No significant interactions were observed between the two groups and any of the variables examined, either in the PS or RS. The recurrence patterns were similar in the two groups. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis showed that surgical method (LDG/ODG) was not a prognostic factor affecting OS or DFS, either prospectively or retrospectively., Conclusions: The oncologic efficacy of laparoscopic and open distal gastrectomy for advanced GC is comparable. Well-designed RSs can be similar to small sample of PSs in assessing long-term oncologic outcomes of surgical interventions, but the short-term outcomes obtained should be treated with caution.

Importance: The application of indocyanine green (ICG) imaging in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy is in the preliminary stages of clinical practice, and its safety and efficacy remain controversial., Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of ICG near-infrared tracer-guided imaging during laparoscopic D2 lymphadenectomy in patients with gastric cancer., Design, Setting, and Participants: Patients with potentially resectable gastric adenocarcinoma (clinical tumor stage cT1-cT4a, N0/+, M0) were enrolled in a prospective randomized clinical trial at a tertiary referral teaching hospital between November 2018 and July 2019. Patients were randomly assigned to the ICG group or the non-ICG group. The number of retrieved lymph nodes, rate of lymph node noncompliance, and postoperative recovery data were compared between the groups in a modified intention-to-treat analysis. Statistical analysis was performed from August to September 2019., Interventions: The ICG group underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy using near-infrared imaging after receiving an endoscopic peritumoral injection of ICG to the submucosa 1 day before surgery., Main Outcomes and Measures: Total number of retrieved lymph nodes., Results: Of 266 participants randomized, 133 underwent ICG tracer-guided laparoscopic gastrectomy, and 133 underwent conventional laparoscopic gastrectomy. After postsurgical exclusions, 258 patients were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis, which comprised 129 patients (86 men and 43 women; mean [SD] age, 57.8 [10.7] years) in the ICG group and 129 patients (87 men and 42 women; mean [SD] age, 60.1 [9.1] years) in the non-ICG group. The mean number of lymph nodes retrieved in the ICG group was significantly more than the mean number retrieved in the non-ICG group (mean [SD], 50.5 [15.9] lymph nodes vs 42.0 [10.3] lymph nodes, respectively; P < .001). Significantly more perigastric and extraperigastric lymph nodes were retrieved in the ICG group than in the non-ICG group. In addition, the mean total number of lymph nodes retrieved in the ICG group within the scope of D2 lymphadenectomy was also significantly greater than the mean number retrieved in the non-ICG group (mean [SD], 49.6 [15.0] lymph nodes vs 41.7 [10.2] lymph nodes, respectively; P < .001). The lymph node noncompliance rate of the ICG group (41 of 129 patients [31.8%]) was lower than that of the non-ICG group (74 of 129 patients [57.4%]; P < .001). The postoperative recovery process was comparable, and no significant difference was found between the ICG and non-ICG groups in the incidence (20 of 129 patients [15.5%] vs 21 of 129 [16.3%], respectively; P = .86) or severity of complications within 30 days after surgery., Conclusions and Relevance: Indocyanine green can noticeably improve the number of lymph node dissections and reduce lymph node noncompliance without increased complications in patients undergoing D2 lymphadenectomy. Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging can be performed for routine lymphatic mapping during laparoscopic gastrectomy, especially total gastrectomy., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03050879.

Background: Our study investigated the effect of lymph node (LN) noncompliance on the long-term prognosis of patients after laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) and explored the risk factors of LN noncompliance., Methods: The clinicopathological data of gastric cancer (GC) patients who underwent LTG with D2 lymphadenectomy from June 2007 to December 2013 were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed. The effects of LN noncompliance on the long-term prognosis of patients with GC after LTG were explored., Results: The overall LN noncompliance rate was 51.9%. The survival rate of patients after LTG with LN compliance was significantly superior to that of patients with LN noncompliance (p = 0.013). The stratified analysis of TNM stage indicated that there was no difference between the OS of stage I patients with LN compliance and those with LN noncompliance; OS of stage II/III patients with LN compliance was significantly better than that of those with LN noncompliance. Cox regression analyses showed that LN noncompliance was an independent risk factor for OS. Logistic regression analysis showed that high BMI (≥ 25 kg/m 2 ) was an independent risk factor for preoperative prediction of LN noncompliance in cStage II/III patients. Patients with a high BMI were more likely to have LN noncompliance during surgery, especially during the dissections of #6, #8a, and #12a LN stations., Conclusions: LN noncompliance was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) after LTG. Patients with high BMI were more likely to have LN noncompliance, especially during the dissections of #6, #8a, and #12a LN stations. LN tracing was recommended for these patients to reduce the rate of LN noncompliance.

Background: Increasing number of clinical studies have shown that laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) with D2 lymph node (LN) dissection is an effective method for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC). However, reports on the technical feasibility and oncology efficacy of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) in the treatment of AGC are rare., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinicopathologic data of 1313 patients with clinical stage of cT2-4aN0-3M0 undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy with D2 LN dissection from June 2007 to December 2013 was performed. Noncompliance was defined as patients with more than one LN station absence as described in the protocol for D2 lymphadenectomy in the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association (JGCA). According to the literature, it was subdivided into LN compliance group (all LN stations were detected), minor LN noncompliance group (1-2 LN stations were not detected), major LN noncompliance group (more than 2 LN stations were not detected). Based on the LN noncompliance, the surgical indications of LTG were analyzed with LDG as control., Results: Among the 1313 patients, 197 (39.20%) patients and 321(39.71%) patients in the LDG group and the LTG group had minor LN noncompliance, 59(11.70%) patients and 163(20.10%) patients had major LN noncompliance. The difference in the extent of LN noncompliance between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.001). COX proportional hazards regression analysis elucidated that the LN noncompliance was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS). BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 and the history of previous abdominal surgery (PAS) were independent risk factors for major LN noncompliance in LTG group (p < 0.05), with which patients were defined as a LN noncompliance high-risk group. With the exception of LN noncompliance high-risk group, the difference in the extent of LN noncompliance between LTG group and LDG group was still statistically significant (p = 0.008). Tumor diameter > 60 mm is a preoperative risk factor for station #5 LN noncompliance, and no preoperative risk factors for station #6 LN noncompliance were found, with which patients were defined as LN noncompliance middle-risk group., Conclusion: LN noncompliance is an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis in patients after LTG. Based on this finding, patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 , history of PAS and tumor diameter > 60 mm in the advanced stage of upper-middle gastric cancer represent high/middle-risk groups with LN noncompliance in LTG surgery, which should be carefully selected.

Background: To compare the differences in occurrence rates, time intervals, main causes, and management strategies of early unplanned reoperations (EUROs) after gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC) between laparoscopic and open surgery., Methods: From Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2014, 2608 and 1516 patients underwent laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) and open gastrectomy (OG), respectively. Perioperative outcomes and risk factors for EURO were analyzed., Results: The overall EURO rate was 1.3%, and the rate in LAG and OG groups was 1.1% and 1.6%, respectively. The EURO rate after 24 h postoperatively was significantly lower in LAG group than in OG group (p = 0.019). No significant correlation was identified between laparoscopic surgery and EURO rate (p = 0.157); age > 70 (p = 0.028), body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m 2 (p = 0.009), and estimated blood loss > 100 ml (p = 0.029) were independent risk factors for EURO. The main cause of EURO was intra-abdominal bleeding, anastomotic bleeding, and anastomotic leakage in LAG group; and intra-abdominal bleeding, anastomotic leakage, and intestinal obstruction in OG group. The proportion of patients with intra-abdominal bleeding requiring EURO was markedly higher in LAG group than in OG group (p = 0.043). Transverse mesocolonic vessels and spleen were the most common bleeding sites necessitating EURO in LAG and OG groups, respectively. Six of 28 (21.4%) patients with EUROs in LAG group underwent laparoscopic procedure (p = 0.025). Mortality in patients requiring EURO was 3.6% and 20.8% in LAG and OG groups, respectively (p = 0.084)., Conclusions: Compared to open surgery, laparoscopic surgery does not increase the incidence of EURO in patients undergoing gastrectomy for GC; however, laparoscopic surgery is associated with a lower EURO rate after 24 h postoperatively and a higher proportion of patients with intra-abdominal bleeding requiring EURO than open surgery. Effective and accurate intraoperative hemostasis for intra-abdominal vessels and anastomotic sites will help further reduce the incidence of EURO following LAG within 24 h postoperatively.

Background: Robotic surgery has been considered to be significantly better than laparoscopic surgery for complicated procedures., Aim: To explore the short-term effect of robotic and laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (SPSHL) for advanced gastric cancer (GC) by Huang's three-step maneuver., Methods: A total of 643 patients who underwent SPSHL were recruited from April 2012 to July 2017, including 35 patients who underwent robotic SPSHL (RSPSHL) and 608 who underwent laparoscopic SPSHL (LSPSHL). One-to-four propensity score matching was used to analyze the differences in clinical data between patients who underwent robotic SPSHL and those who underwent laparoscopic SPSHL., Results: In all, 175 patients were matched, including 35 patients who underwent RSPSHL and 140 who underwent LSPSHL. After matching, there were no significant differences detected in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. Significant differences in total operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), splenic hilar blood loss (SHBL), splenic hilar dissection time (SHDT), and splenic trunk dissection time were evident between these groups ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in the overall noncompliance rate of lymph node (LN) dissection (62.9% vs 60%, P = 0.757), number of retrieved No. 10 LNs (3.1 ± 1.4 vs 3.3 ± 2.5, P = 0.650), total number of examined LNs (37.8 ± 13.1 vs 40.6 ± 13.6, P = 0.274), and postoperative complications (14.3% vs 17.9%, P = 0.616). A stratified analysis that divided the patients receiving RSPSHL into an early group (EG) and a late group (LG) revealed that the LG experienced obvious improvements in SHDT and length of stay compared with the EG ( P < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that robotic surgery was a significantly protective factor against both SHBL and SHDT ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: RSPSHL is safe and feasible, especially after overcoming the early learning curve, as this procedure results in a radical curative effect equivalent to that of LSPSHL., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) systems for laparoscopy provide surgeons with additional information on spatial depth not found in two-dimensional (2D) systems., Methods: This study enrolled 156 spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (LSPSHL) patients in a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02327481) at the department of gastric surgery at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital between January 2015 and April 2016. The short-term efficacies were compared between the treatment groups. The unedited videos of 80 LSPSHL (40 procedures each for 3D and 2D) were rated for technical performance using the Generic Error Rating Tool., Results: The data for 156 LSPSHL patients indicate that the estimated blood loss (EBL) (3D vs 2D = 66.3 vs. 99.0, P = 0.046) was significantly less in the 3D group. The postoperative recovery and complication rates were similar (P > 0.05). And there were no deaths within 30 days of surgery. Two observers analyzed 80 videos of LSPSHL. The results showed that there were fewer grasping-errors made in the 3D group than in the 2D group when dissecting the inferior pole region of spleen (IPRS) (P = 0.016) and the superior pole region of spleen (SPRS) (P = 0.022). Additionally, the inter-rater reliability was high regarding grasping-errors in the IPRS (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.92) and in the SPRS (ICC 0.83). The ICC for the total number of errors was 0.82. The mean of errors in the 3D group (3D vs. 2D = 20.7 vs. 23.5, P = 0.022) was less than the 2D group., Conclusions: Compared with 2D LSPSHL, 3D technology reduces EBL and technical errors during splenic hilar dissection.

To identify the risk factors for intraoperative laparoscopic hemostasis during laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymph node dissection (LSPSD) for proximal gastric cancer (GC) and to develop and validate a model to estimate the risk of intraoperative laparoscopic hemostasis. Between January 2011 and December 2014, we prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 398 patients with proximal GC who underwent LSPSD. The data were split 75/25, with one group used for model development and the other for validation testing. Of the 398 patients enrolled in this study, 174 (43.7%) required laparoscopic hemostasis treatment. A multivariate analysis determined that the risk factors for the model group were gender, preoperative N stage, and terminal branches of the splenic artery (SpA), and each factor contributed 1 point to the risk score. The intraoperative laparoscopic hemostasis rates were 11.5%, 33.6%, 58.5%, and 73.5% for the low-, intermediate-, high-, and extremely high-risk categories, respectively (p < 0.001). Blood loss volume (BLV) and operative time (in min) for LSPSD increased significantly (p < 0.001) as the risk increased. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the intraoperative laparoscopic hemostasis score was 0.700. The observed and predicted incidence rates were parallel for intraoperative laparoscopic hemostasis in the validation set. This simple, efficient scoring system using the factors for gender, preoperative N stage, and terminal SpA branches can accurately predict the risk of intraoperative laparoscopic hemostasis during LSPSD to improve surgical safety., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.)

Background: To determine whether laparoscopic surgery can be used in high-risk patients with gastric cancer., Methods: The clinicopathological data of 3743 patients with primary gastric adenocarcinoma, collected from January 2007 to December 2014, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who had ≥ 1 of the following conditions were defined as high-risk patients: (1) age ≥ 80 years; (2) BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ; (3) ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) grade ≥ 3; or (4) clinical T stage 4 (cT4). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce confounding bias; then, we compared the short-term and long-term efficacy of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) with open gastrectomy (OG) in high-risk patients with gastric cancer., Results: A total of 1296 patients were included in PSM. After PSM, no significant difference in clinicopathological data was observed between the LG group (n = 341) and the OG group (n = 341). The operative time (181.70 vs. 266.71 min, p < 0.001) and blood loss during the operation (68.11 vs. 225.54 ml, p < 0.001) in the LG group were significantly lower than those in the OG group. In the LG and OG groups, postoperative complications occurred in 39 (11.4%) and 63 (18.5%) patients, respectively, p = 0.010. Multivariate analysis showed that laparoscopic surgery was an independent protective factor against postoperative complications (p = 0.019). The number of risk factors was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications (p = 0.021). The 5-year overall survival rate in the LG group was comparable to that in the OG group (55.0 vs. 52.0%, p = 0.086). Hierarchical analysis further confirmed that the LG and OG groups exhibited comparable survival rates among patients with stages cI, pI, cII, pII, cIII, and pIII (all p > 0.05)., Conclusions: For high-risk patients with gastric cancer, LG not only exhibits better short-term efficacy than OG but also has a comparable 5-year survival rate to OG.

Background: The oncologic outcome of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (LG) with open radical gastrectomy (OG) for gastric cancer with preoperative enlarged lymph nodes (LNs) remains ambiguous., Methods: The long-term outcomes of LG (n = 855) versus OG (n = 154) in gastric adenocarcinoma patients were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were stratified according to enlarged (> 10 mm) and small (≤ 10 mm) LNs (ELN and SLN) based on the long-axis diameter of the LNs., Results: The violin plot indicates that the distribution of ELN size was similar between two groups. Survival curves demonstrated that the overall survival (OS) in LG is enhanced compared with OG (p = 0.034). A stratified analysis revealed that the OS was better in the LG group compared with the OG group for patients with ELNs (p = 0.038). In a forest map analysis, the actual 3-year OS rate for LG was significantly increased compared with OG in enlarged suprapancreatic LN (ESLNs) patients. Stratified analysis based on different diameters of ESLNs revealed that the actual 3-year OS and cancer-specific survival (CSS)rate for LG was significant increased compared to OG with a diameter from 1.0 to 1.9 cm for pII or pIII stage patients. However, the actual 3-year OS and CSS rate for LG was significantly reduced compared with OG when the size exceeded 2.5 cm., Conclusions: For advanced gastric cancer with an ESLN diameter from 1.0 to 1.9 cm, LG could be chosen preferentially; nevertheless, LG is not safe if ESLN are > 2.5 cm.

Background: Robotic-assisted gastrectomy (RAG) has been rapidly adopted for gastric cancer (GC) treatment. However, whether RAG provides any significant outcome/cost advantages over laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) for the experienced laparoscopist remains unclear., Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database identified 768 consecutive patients who underwent either RAG (n = 103) or LAG (n = 667) for GC between July 2016 and June 2017 at a large center. A 1:3 matched propensity score analysis was performed. The short-term outcomes and hospital costs between the two groups were compared., Results: A well-balanced cohort of 404 patients was analyzed (RAG:LAG = 1:3 match). The mean operation times were 226.6 ± 36.2 min for the RAG group and 181.8 ± 49.8 min for the LAG group (p < 0.001). The total numbers of retrieved lymph nodes were similar in the RAG and LAG groups (means 38 and 40, respectively, p = 0.115). The overall and major complication rates (RAG, 13.9% vs. LAG, 12.5%, p = 0.732 and RAG, 3.0% vs. LAG, 1.3%, p = 0.373, respectively) were similar. RAG was much more costly than LAG (1.3 times, p < 0.001) mainly due to the amortization and consumables of the robotic system. According to cumulative sum (CUSUM), the learning phases were divided as follows: phase 1 (cases 1-21), phase 2 (cases 22-63), and phase 3 (cases 64-101), in the robotic group. The surgical stress (SS) was higher in the robotic group compared with the laparoscopic group in phase 1 (p < 0.05). However, the SS did not differ significantly between the two groups in phase 3., Conclusions: RAG is a feasible and safe surgical procedure for GC, especially in the post-learning curve period. However, further studies are warranted to evaluate the long-term oncological outcomes and to elucidate whether RAG is cost-effective when compared to LAG.

Background: The proportion of elderly patients who undergo surgery has rapidly increased. However, clinical indicators that predict outcomes are limited. Frailty is thought to estimate physiological reserves, although its use has not been evaluated in laparoscopic surgical patients. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of preoperative modified frailty index (PMFI) in octogenarians undergoing a laparoscopic gastrectomy., Methods: We reviewed prospectively collected data from 119 patients with gastric cancer (GC) aged 80 years or older who underwent a radical laparoscopic gastrectomy (RLG) between January 2007 and December 2012. Three baseline frailty traits were measured using routine preoperative laboratory data: albumin < 3.4 g/dL, haematocrit < 35%, and creatinine > 2 mg/dL. Patients were categorized by the number of positive traits as follows: low preoperative modified frailty index (LPMFI): 0-2 traits and high preoperative modified frailty index (HPMFI): 3 traits. We compared patient characteristics, operative outcomes, pathological results, morbidity, and survival., Results: A total of 43 (36.1%) patients were considered HPMFI, and 76 (63.9%) patients were considered LPMFI. HPMFI was associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications (HPMFI group: odds ratio 2.506; 95% CI, 1.113-5.643, P = 0.027). With a median follow-up of 39.0 months, the 3-year overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates for the entire cohort were 47.9, 34.3, and 51.7%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in OS (HPMFI group, 37.2%; LPMFI group, 53.9%; P = 0.038) and RFS (HPMFI group, 23.3%; LPMFI group, 40.5%; P = 0.012) between the groups, but no difference was found for CSS (HPMFI group, 43.5%; LPMFI group, 56.4%; P = 0.078)., Conclusions: HPMFI based on an easily calculable preoperative measure may be useful for predicting postoperative complications and have a negative impact on 3-year OS and RFS after an RLG in octogenarians. Therefore, HPMFI can serve as a low-cost, simple screen for high-risk individuals who might suffer more than expected during the postoperative period after an RLG.

Aim: To investigate oncologic efficacy of prophylactic laparoscopic superior mesenteric vein (No. 14v) lymph node (LN) dissection for lower-third gastric cancer (LTGC)., Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 757 patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy for LTGC. Of these patients, 102 underwent 14v LN dissection (14vD+ group), and the remaining 655 patients did not undergo 14v LN dissection (14vD- group). The outcomes were compared using a 1:1 propensity score matching method., Results: After matching, 93 patients from the 14vD+ group and 93 patients from the 14vD- group with similar clinicopathological characteristics were compared. Before matching, the overall survival (OS) was similar between the two groups (P = 0.742). After matching, the OS was greater in the 14vD+ group (P = 0.025). The status of 14v dissection was not a significant prognostic factor in the survival analyses, both before and after matching. However, a stratified analysis according to the independent factors in the OS showed that the OS in the 14vD+ group was higher than that in the 14vD- group for cT2-3 patients after matching. The forest plot of OS showed that after matching the 14vD+ group had a significantly higher 3-year OS rate than the 14vD- group in cT2-3 patients. The distribution of the therapeutic index demonstrated that the index of 14v LN was similar to those of Nos. 1, 7, 8a, 9, and 11p after matching., Conclusions: Adding laparoscopic 14v dissection for laparoscopic-assisted radical distal gastrectomy was safe and might improve the OS for clinically advanced LTGC without serosal invasion.

Objective: To determine the relative safety and efficacy of 3D laparoscopic gastrectomy and 2D laparoscopic surgery in patients with gastric cancer., Background: There is still a lack of randomized controlled trials regarding the safety and efficacy of 3D versus 2D laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer., Methods: A large-scale, phase 3, prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted. (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02327481)., Results: A total of 438 patients were randomized (3D group: 219 cases; 2D group: 219 cases) between January 1, 2015, and April 1, 2016; 19 patients were excluded. Finally, data from 419 patients were analyzed (3D group: 211 cases; 2D group: 208 cases). There were no differences between the 2 groups regarding the operation time (3D versus 2D, 176 ± 35 min vs. 174 ± 33 min, P = .562). The intraoperative blood loss in the 3D group was somewhat less than in the 2D group (61 ± 83 mL vs. 82 ± 119 mL, P = .045). Further analysis suggested that the use of 3D laparoscopic surgery was a protective factor against excessive blood loss (≥200 mL)., Conclusion: 3D laparoscopic gastrectomy did not shorten the operation time compared with 2D laparoscopic gastrectomy, but provided the benefit of less intraoperative blood loss and a lesser occurrence of excessive bleeding than the conventional 2D laparoscopic gastrectomy; the clinical value of the difference is limited., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: The goal of this study was to investigate the difference between the learning curves of different maneuvers in laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy for advanced upper gastric cancer., Methods: From January 2010 to April 2014, 53 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy via the traditional-step maneuver (group A) and 53 consecutive patients via Huang's three-step maneuver (group B) were retrospectively analyzed., Results: No significant difference in patient characteristics were found between the two groups. The learning curves of groups A and B were divided into phase 1 (1-43 cases and 1-30 cases, respectively) and phase 2 (44-53 cases and 31-53 cases, respectively). Compared with group A, the dissection time, bleeding loss and vascular injury were significantly decreased in group B. No significant differences in short-term outcomes were found between the two maneuvers. The multivariate analysis indicated that the body mass index, short gastric vessels, splenic artery type and maneuver were significantly associated with the dissection time in group B. No significant difference in the survival curve was found between the maneuvers., Conclusions: The learning curve of Huang's three-step maneuver was shorter than that of the traditional-step maneuver, and the former represents an ideal maneuver for laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy.To shorten the learning curve at the beginning of laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy, beginners should beneficially use Huang's three-step maneuver and select patients with advanced upper gastric cancer with a body mass index of less than 25 kg/m 2 and the concentrated type of splenic artery., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Aim: To evaluate the short-term outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in gastric cancer patients undergoing digestive tract construction using the isoperistaltic jejunum-later-cut overlap method (IJOM) after totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG)., Methods: A total of 507 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy (D2) from January 2014 to March 2016 were originally included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups to undergo digestive tract construction using either IJOM after TLTG (group T, n = 51) or Roux-en-Y anastomosis after laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) (group A, n = 456). The short-term outcomes and QoL were compared between the two groups after 1:2 propensity-score matching (PSM). We used a questionnaire to assess QoL., Results: Before matching, age, sex, tumor size, tumor location, preoperative albumin and blood loss were significantly different between the two groups ( P < 0.05). After PSM, the patients were well balanced in terms of their clinicopathological characteristics, although both blood loss and in-hospital postoperative days in group T were significantly lower than those in group A ( P < 0.05). After matching, group T reported better QoL in the domains of pain and dysphagia. Among the items evaluating pain and dysphagia, group T tended to report better QoL ("Have you felt pain" and "Have you had difficulty eating solid food") ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The IJOM for digestive tract reconstruction after TLTG is associated with reduced blood loss and less pain and dysphagia, thus improving QoL after laparoscopic gastrectomy., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose.

Background: To evaluate the risk factors affecting unplanned reoperation (URO) after laparoscopic gastrectomy (LAG) for gastric cancer (GC) and establish a model to predict URO preoperatively., Study Design: Between May 2007 and December 2014, we prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed the data of 2608 GC patients who underwent LAG. Among them, 2580 patients not requiring an URO were defined as the Non-URO group, and 28 patients requiring an URO were defined as the URO group. Univariate, multivariate, and bootstrap analyses were performed to determine the independent predictors for URO, and a nomogram was constructed to preoperatively predict the rate of URO after LAG., Results: Of the 2608 patients, the URO rate was 1.1% (28/2608) within the 30-day hospitalization. The mean URO time interval to first operation was 5.6 ± 5.5 (0.10-18.5) days. The main causes requiring URO were intraabdominal bleeding (57.1%), anastomotic bleeding (17.9%), anastomotic leakage (7.1%), and intraabdominal infection (7.1%). Compared to the Non-URO group, the URO group had a significantly longer hospital stay (p < 0.001) and significantly higher hospital fees (p < 0.001). The morbidity rate was 39.2% in the URO group and 14.5% in the non-URO group (p = 0.001), and mortality was 3.6% in the URO group and 0.2% in the non-URO group (p = 0.063). Multivariate analysis using bootstrap method revealed that age >70 years (odds ratio (OR) = 2.232, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.023-4.491, p = 0.028), male gender (OR = 32.983, 95% CI 1.405-25.343 × 10 6 , p = 0.027), and body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m 2 (OR = 2.550, 95% CI 1.017-5.398, p = 0.012) were independent risk factors for URO. A multivariable nomogram model for predicting URO exhibited a strong optimism-adjusted discrimination (concordance index, 0.687). No significant correlation was noted between the URO rate and operative period by Spearman analysis (r = 0.012, p = 0.548)., Conclusions: Age > 70 years, Male, and BMI > 25 kg/m 2 were independent risk factors for URO. Based on the three risk factors, we developed a simple and practical nomogram to predict URO preoperatively, which might aid surgeons in reducing the URO rate when planning to perform LAG for GC.

Background: Few studies have evaluated the outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) for Siewert type II and III adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG). Thus, aim of this study was to investigate the surgical outcomes of LATG for Siewert type II and III AEG., Methods: Clinical data for 700 Siewert type II and III AEG patients were analyzed retrospectively. The short- and long-term outcomes were compared between the matched groups using a propensity score matching method., Results: Before matching, the comorbidities, Siewert classifications and tumor invasion depths significantly differed between the LATG and open total gastrectomy (OTG) groups. After matching, the clinicopathologic characteristics were well balanced between the two groups. In addition, after matching, decreases in the operative time, amount of blood loss, time to resumption of a semifluid diet, and length of hospital stay and an increased number of lymph nodes (LNs) retrieved were observed in the LATG group compared with the OTG group. Further, a significantly higher 3-year overall survival rate (81.3 vs 66.4%; P = 0.011) and disease-free survival rate (77.5 vs 63.8%; P = 0.040) were observed for the Siewert type II AEG patients in the LATG group compared with those in the OTG group; however, the survival rates were similar for the Siewert type III AEG patients in the two groups (P = 0.853 and P = 0.844, respectively)., Conclusions: LATG is associated with better short-term outcomes for Siewert type II and III AEG. In addition, it may result in an increased number of retrieved LNs and better long-term survival for Siewert type II AEG patients in particular.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated the short-term outcomes following three-dimensional (3D) or two-dimensional (2D) laparoscopic surgery for patients with gastric cancer., Background: There is a lack of prospective evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of 3D versus 2D laparoscopic surgery for patients with gastric cancer. Therefore, we conducted a phase III single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled trial to compare 3D and 2D laparoscopic surgery for patients with gastric cancer., Methods: We compared operation time, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph node dissections, morbidity, and mortality between the 3D and 2D groups following laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with ID number NCT02327481., Results: A total of 228 patients were randomized (3D group 115 cases; 2D group 113 cases) between January 1, 2015 and September 1, 2015. Seven patients who underwent exploratory operations were excluded. Finally, a total of 221 patients were analyzed (3D group 109 cases, 2D group 112 cases). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the clinical pathological characteristics, operating time (3D vs. 2D, 184 ± 36 vs. 178 ± 37 min, P = 0.288), number of lymph node dissections (36 ± 14 vs. 37 ± 13, P = 0.698), time to first ambulation (2.27 ± 1.60 vs. 2.04 ± 0.84, P = 0.18), flatus (3.89 ± 1.49 vs. 3.69 ± 1.12, P = 0.255), liquid diet (4.88 ± 1.88 vs. 4.79 ± 1.57, P = 0.684), or duration of postoperative hospital stay (12.52 ± 4.83 vs. 12.63 ± 7.32, P = 0.903). The postoperative complication rates of the 3D and 2D groups were 18.3 and 16.1%, respectively, P = 0.723. No patients died during the postoperative hospital stay. However, the intraoperative blood loss in the 3D group was significantly lower than the 2D group (58 ± 75 vs. 78 ± 72 ml, P = 0.047)., Conclusion: There was no significant difference in operation time and number of lymph node harvested between the 3D and 2D groups; however, 3D laparoscopic surgery may reduce the intraoperative blood loss compared to 2D procedure. Therefore, we conclude that this trial is safe and is thus ongoing.

Background: Comorbidity is a predictor of postoperative complications in gastrectomy. However, it remains unclear which comorbidities are predictors of postoperative complications in gastric cancer patients who have undergone laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of comorbidities on the surgical outcomes of patients with gastric cancer after LATG., Methods: We retrospectively collected data on 1657 gastric cancer patients who underwent LATG between January 2008 and December 2015. We investigated the incidences, types, and risk factors for postoperative complications after LATG. Patients were enrolled in analysis to evaluate the effects of comorbidities on postoperative complications., Results: The number of postoperative complications was associated with the number of comorbidities in the gastric cancer patients according to the operative period. Of the 1657 patients included in this study, 714 (43.1 %) had one or more comorbidities. Postoperative complications occurred in 283 patients (17.1 %), and 6 patients (0.4 %) died during hospitalization. With an increasing number of comorbidities, the incidence of local and systemic complications also increased. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that comorbidity was a predictive risk factor for local complications (OR 1.204, 1.014-1.431) and systemic complications (OR 1.237, 1.039-1.474). Diabetes mellitus, anemia, pulmonary disease, and renal dysfunction were found to be associated with postoperative complications, including abdominal bleeding, anastomotic leakage, and pneumonia., Conclusions: Our study has revealed that comorbidities could be a predictive risk factor for postoperative complications after LATG. Surgeons should carefully assess patients with full perioperative attention to some specific types of comorbidities.

Background: To investigate the incidence of and factors associated with postoperative complications and failure to rescue following laparoscopic and open gastrectomy for gastric cancer., Study Design: We analyzed the records of 4124 patients who underwent a laparoscopic or open gastrectomy for gastric cancer. One-to-one propensity score matching was performed to compare the difference between the two groups., Results: A total of 4124 patients were included in the study, 627 of whom (15.2 %) developed postoperative complications. Postoperative deaths occurred in 23 (0.6 %) patients with serious complications. In the propensity score matching analysis with 1361 pairs, no significant differences in the rates of overall complications (14.2 vs. 16.5 %, p = 0.093) were observed between laparoscopic and open gastrectomy group. In-hospital mortality decreased in patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy compared to patients who underwent open gastrectomy (0.3 vs. 1.2 %, p = 0.004). Failure to rescue rates were lower in patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy (2.1 vs. 7.6 %, p = 0.008). Multivariate analysis showed that older age, tumor location, TNM stage classification, extent of gastric resection, operative time and intra-operative blood loss were adverse risk factors for postoperative complications. Laparoscopic gastrectomy was found to be a protective factor for failure to rescue. Complications associated with failure to rescue included abdominal bleeding, anastomotic leakage and cardiac events. In-hospital mortality increased as the number of complications per patient increased., Conclusions: Assuming equal competence with open and laparoscopic approaches of a surgeon, the proportion of patients with postoperative complications were similar among those who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy compared to patients who underwent open gastrectomy. However, when complications occurred, patients with open gastrectomy were more likely to die.

This article investigated the feasibility of laparoscopic surgery in unfavorable site gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).We identified 214 patients who underwent primary gastric GIST resection at our institution (January 2006-December 2014) from a prospectively collected database. These patients were divided into a Favorable group (140 cases) and an Unfavorable group (74 cases) according to the 2014 version of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Guidelines (NCCN guidelines).The wedge resection rate of the Favorable group was higher than that of the Unfavorable group, and most procedures were performed laparoscopically (P < 0.05). In addition, there were no differences in the other clinicopathological features between these groups (P > 0.05). The postoperative stay of the Unfavorable group was longer than that of the Favorable group (P = 0.02). Laparoscopic surgery in both groups resulted in a shorter operative time, lower blood loss, faster time to first flatus, faster time to first fluid diet, and shorter postoperative stay than open surgery (P < 0.05). Although the difference was not significant (P = 0.09), the postoperative complication incidence of the Favorable group was less than that of the Unfavorable group (10% vs 17.6%). Furthermore, in the Unfavorable group, the incidence of postoperative complications from laparoscopic surgery was significantly lower than that of open surgery (P = 0.001). There were no differences in the 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of these groups (P > 0.05). Furthermore, in the Unfavorable group, the 5-year OS and RFS were similar for both laparoscopic and open procedures. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that imatinib (IM) treatment was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis.Laparoscopic operation for gastric GISTs located in unfavorable sites can yield similar long-term outcomes compared with an open operation. However, laparoscopic surgery has the obvious advantage of being minimally invasive, and the incidence of postoperative complications was low. Laparoscopic surgery is thus an option for the treatment of localized gastric GISTs.

Background: The evidence regarding the long-term results of laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (LSPL) has only been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and oncologic efficacy of LSPL for locally advanced proximal gastric cancer., Methods: From May 2007 to December 2012, we prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed the data of 548 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy due to proximal gastric cancer. The patients were grouped according to spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (200 in the D2 group and 348 in the D2-group). The short- and long-term outcomes were compared between the two groups after propensity score matching., Results: Before matching, TNM stages were significantly different between the D2 and D2-groups. After propensity score matching, the two groups were well balanced in clinicopathologic characteristics. After matching, the time for lymph node dissection was longer in the D2 group, but a greater number of lymph nodes were dissected; the estimated blood loss, time to first flatus and duration of hospital stay were similar in the two groups. Furthermore, no significant differences in morbidity and mortality were found. Before matching, the 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates of the D2 group were comparable with those of the D2-group (62.4 vs. 57.7 %, p = 0.076). After matching, the 3-year OS remained comparable, but the D2 group showed significantly longer 3-year DFS (61.6 vs. 53.7 %, p = 0.034). Stratified analysis showed that, in stage III patients, the D2 group had better 3-year DFS. Multivariate Cox regression showed that age (p = 0.003), operation (p = 0.001) and pN stage (p < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors., Conclusions: LSPL is a safe and feasible procedure, and patients with stage III proximal gastric cancer might obtain higher 3-year DFS rates.

Background: To investigate the long-term outcome of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (LAG) for gastric cancer (GC) with preoperative enlarged lymph nodes (LNs)., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected data on 855 patients who underwent LAG for GC. The patients were divided into large (>10 mm) and small (≤10 mm) LN groups (LG and SG) based on the preoperative size of the LNs. The outcomes were compared using a 1:1 propensity score-matching method. The enlarged LNs were divided into five areas according to their location., Results: Before matching, the LG was associated with more retrieved LNs than the SG, whereas after matching, the numbers of LNs retrieved were similar. These numbers remained similar as the number of areas with enlarged LNs increased. Before matching, patients in the LG demonstrated a significantly lower 3-year overall survival rate than those in the SG (p < 0.001). Additionally, in the LG, 3-year overall survival rates were similar among patients with different total numbers of areas with enlarged LNs. After matching, the 3-year overall survival rate of the LG was close to that of the SG (81.1% vs. 72.4%, p = 0.066). A stratified analysis according to the only independent prognostic factor (pTNM stage) demonstrated that the 3-year overall survival rates at each stage were similar between the LG and SG., Conclusions: LAG has similar oncologic outcomes for GC with or without preoperative enlarged LNs in the same tumor stage. Furthermore, the total number of areas with enlarged LNs has no impact on the long-term outcome.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk factors that influence the difficulty of performing laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymph node dissection (SHLND) for gastric cancer and to establish a simple and effective scoring system to predict the surgical difficulty preoperatively., Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2013, we prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 317 patients with upper- or middle-third gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic spleen-preserving SHLND. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the independent predictors for surgical difficulty based on the operation time during spleen-preserving SHLND. A logistic regression model was used to identify determinant variables and construct a predictive difficulty scoring system., Results: Multivariate analysis showed that gender, body mass index (BMI), number of splenic lobar arteries (SLAs), and type of SLA were independently predictive factors of operation time. According to these factors, we developed a predictive surgical difficulty scoring system and the difficulty levels are divided into 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 points or more. Based on the relative risk, we stratified the surgical difficulty into the following three divisions: 0 low difficulty, 1-2 intermediate difficulty, and 3 points or more high difficulty. The patients with long operation time accounted for 19.6, 43.6, and 90.9 % for the three groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the logistic regression model and the simplified difficulty scoring prediction model was 0.717 and 0.715, respectively., Conclusions: Based on four independent risk factors, including gender, BMI, number of SLAs, and type of SLA, we developed a simple and effective scoring system to predict the difficulty of laparoscopic spleen-preserving SHLND preoperatively. This novel scoring system might aid surgeons with different experience in performing operations at different levels of difficulty.

Background: A scoring system allows risk stratification of morbidity might be helpful for selecting risk-adapted interventions to improve surgical safety. Few studies have been designed to develop scoring systems to predict SSIs after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer., Methods: We analyzed the records of 2364 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. A logistic regression model was used to identify the determinant variables and develop a predictive score., Results: There were 2364 patients, of whom 131 (5.5 %) developed overall SSIs, 33 (1.4 %) developed incisional SSIs, and 98 (4.1 %) developed organ/space SSIs. No significant risk factor was associated with incisional SSIs. A multivariate analysis showed the following adverse risk factors for organ/space SSIs: BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2), intraoperative blood loss ≥75 ml, operation time ≥240 min, and perioperative transfusion. Each of these factors contributed 1 point to the risk score. The organ/space SSIs rates were 1.8, 3.9, 9.9, and 39.0 % for the low-, intermediate-, high-, and extremely high-risk categories, respectively (p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the score of organ/space SSIs was 0.734. There were no statistically significant differences between the observed and predicted incidence rates for organ/space SSIs in the validation set., Conclusions: This validated and simple scoring system could accurately predict the risk of organ/space SSIs after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The score might be helpful in the selection of risk-adapted interventions to decrease the incidence rates of organ/space SSIs.

Published reports on laparoscopic resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) were limited to small experiences and selection bias. Two hundred fourteen patients who underwent primary gastric GIST resection at our institution (January 2006-December 2012) were identified from a prospectively collected database. Laparoscopic resections (LAP) were performed in 133 patients, and open resections (OPEN) were performed in 81 patients. The short- and long-term outcomes were analyzed using propensity-score matching (PSM) by comparing the clinicopathological factors between these groups. The tumor resection method and tumor size were significantly different between the LAP and OPEN groups. After PSM, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in these clinicopathological factors. The LAP group had less blood loss and shorter operation time, time to first flatus, time to first fluid diet, time to gastric tube removal, and postoperative stay before PSM. In addition, there were no differences regarding the time of drainage tube removal or hospitalization expense. Other than the time of gastric tube removal, which was similar in these 2 groups, the short-term outcomes were similar before and after PSM. The rates of postoperative complications in the LAP and OPEN groups were 6.8% and 22.8%, respectively, before PSM (P = 0.001) and 5.6% and 22.5%, respectively, after PSM (P = 0.004). The multivariate analyses for complications showed that tumors were located in the middle of the stomach, and the operation method and proximal gastrectomy were independent risk factors before and after PSM. The 5-year cumulative survival rates in the LAP and OPEN groups were 95.4% and 85.9%, respectively, (P = 0.07) before PSM and 93.1% and 91.9%, respectively, (P = 0.69) after PSM (not significantly different). Laparoscopic resection for gastric GISTs had better short-term outcomes and similar long-term outcomes compared with open surgery. Localized gastric GISTs can be treated with laparoscopic surgery.

Background: The oncologic outcomes of laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) for the treatment of patients with local advanced gastric cancer (AGC) have not been evaluated. This study aimed to validate the oncologic efficacy of LAG for AGC., Methods: The data from 539 patients who underwent LAG and 539 patients treated with open gastrectomy (OG) were selected using the propensity score-matching method from a database prospectively constructed between 2005 and 2011. The therapeutic value of lymph node (LN) dissection and the long-term surgical outcomes of these matched groups were compared., Results: The groups were well balanced after the propensity score matched. The LAG and OG groups did not differ significantly in terms of clinicopathologic characteristics. The number of dissected LNs at stations 11 and 12a were significantly higher in the LAG group. However, the therapeutic index at each LN station did not differ significantly between the two groups. Although the overall survival curve at each stage did not differ significantly (P > 0.05), the survival rate increased overall for patients with pT4aN3bM0 in the OG group (P < 0.05). The stratified analysis showed that overall survival was inferior for LAG surgeons with fewer than 40 completed cases. The survival results for surgeons who had performed more than 40 cases were similar to the results from open surgery., Conclusions: Although LAG yields comparable oncologic outcomes for local AGC, patients with pT4aN3bM0 gastric cancer may not be suitable for laparoscopic surgery, especially for surgeons with limited experience.