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Background: Although D2-gastrectomy is the most effective treatment for resectable gastric cancer (GC), it is unclear whether elderly patients have increased risk of morbidity and worse survival. This study aimed to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of older age (OA) patients with those of less advanced age (LAA)., Methods: GC patients undergoing curative gastrectomy were retrospectively analyzed and divided into two groups: OA (>75 years) and LAA (<75 years). Propensity score-matching (PSM) analysis using seven variables was conducted to reduce selection bias., Results: Among 586 patients, 494 (84.3%) were classified as LAA and 92 (15.7%) as OA. OA patients had worse clinical status, higher rates of D1-lymphadenectomy, subtotal gastrectomy, and Lauren type; higher mortality and worse survival. No difference in pathological tumor-node-metastasis (pTNM) stage was observed between groups. Preoperative chemotherapy was performed more frequently in the LAA group. After PSM (92 OA: 92 LAA), all variables included in PSM were matched, and mortality rates and survival became similar between groups. In multivariate analysis, American Society of Anaesthesiologists score III/IV was an independent factor associated with a 90-day mortality after PSM., Conclusion: Gastrectomy in elderly GC patients has similar outcomes compared with younger ones. Clinical status and disease stage are more important than the patient's age., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: : The II Brazilian Consensus on Gastric Cancer of the Brazilian Gastric Cancer Association BGCA (Part 1) was recently published. On this occasion, countless specialists working in the treatment of this disease expressed their opinion in the face of the statements presented., Aim: : To present the BGCA Guidelines (Part 2) regarding indications for surgical treatment, operative techniques, extension of resection and multimodal treatment., Methods: To formulate these guidelines, the authors carried out an extensive and current review regarding each declaration present in the II Consensus, using the Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library and SciELO databases initially with the following descriptors: gastric cancer, gastrectomy, lymphadenectomy, multimodal treatment. In addition, each statement was classified according to the level of evidence and degree of recommendation., Results: : Of the 43 statements present in this study, 11 (25,6%) were classified with level of evidence A, 20 (46,5%) B and 12 (27,9%) C. Regarding the degree of recommendation, 18 (41,9%) statements obtained grade of recommendation 1, 14 (32,6%) 2a, 10 (23,3%) 2b e one (2,3%) 3., Conclusion: : The guidelines complement of the guidelines presented here allows surgeons and oncologists who work to combat gastric cancer to offer the best possible treatment, according to the local conditions available.

Background: The II Brazilian Consensus on Gastric Cancer by the Brazilian Gastric Cancer Association (ABCG) was recently published. On this occasion, several experts in gastric cancer expressed their opinion before the statements presented., Aim: To present the ABCG Guidelines (part 1) regarding the diagnosis, staging, endoscopic treatment and follow-up of gastric cancer patients., Methods: To forge these Guidelines, the authors carried out an extensive and current review regarding each statement present in the II Consensus, using the Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library and SciELO databases with the following descriptors: gastric cancer, staging, endoscopic treatment and follow-up. In addition, each statement was classified according to the level of evidence and degree of recommendation., Results: Of the 24 statements, two (8.3%) were classified with level of evidence A, 11 (45.8%) with B and 11 (45.8%) with C. As for the degree of recommendation, six (25%) statements obtained grade of recommendation 1, nine (37.5%) recommendation 2a, six (25%) 2b and three (12.5%) grade 3., Conclusion: The guidelines presented here are intended to assist professionals working in the fight against gastric cancer with relevant and current information, granting them to be applied in the daily medical practice.

Background: remnant gastric cancer (RGC) develops five years or later after previous resection for benign or malignant lesion. The treatment is performed through completion total gastrectomy (CTG) with radical lymphadenectomy. Some reports consider this procedure may be associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality., Objective: to evaluate surgical results and survival after CTG in patients with RGC., Methods: 54 patients who underwent CTG between 2009 and 2019 were included in the study. As a comparison group 215 patients with primary gastric cancer (PGC) who underwent total gastrectomy (TG) in the same period were selected., Results: among the initial characteristics, age (68.0 vs. 60.5; p<0.001), hemoglobin values (10.9 vs. 12.3; p<0.001) and body mass index (22.5 vs. 24.6; p=0.005) were different between the RGC and PGC groups, respectively. The most frequent postoperative complications were related to pulmonary complications, infection and fistula in both groups. There was a higher incidence of esophagojejunal fistula in the CTG group (14.8% vs 6.5%, p=0.055). Perioperative mortality was higher in RGC patients (9.3% vs. 5.1%), but without significance (p=0.329). Hospital length of stay, postoperative complications graded by the Clavien-Dindo classification, mortality at 30 and 90 days were not different between groups. There was no significant difference in disease-free and overall survival between RGC and PGC groups., Conclusion: despite previous reports, surgical results and survival were similar between groups. Higher risk of esophagojejunal fistula must be considered.

Robotic surgery through the da Vinci Surgical System has been widely spread for many procedures across the globe for several years. At the same time, robot-assisted gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC) remains mostly available only in specialized centers in minimally invasive surgery and stomach neoplasm. The robotic platform has been introduced to overcome possible drawbacks of the laparoscopic approach. The safety and the feasibility of robotic radical gastrectomy have been reported in many retrospective case series and nonrandomized prospective studies. However, the superiority of robotic gastrectomy over the laparoscopic access has not yet been proven. This study aimed to report the technical aspects of robot-assisted gastrectomy for GC as well as the latest evidence on this subject.

Background: Since the publication of the first Brazilian Consensus on Gastric Cancer (GC) in 2012 carried out by the Brazilian Gastric Cancer Association, new concepts on diagnosis, staging, treatment and follow-up have been incorporated., Aim: This new consensus is to promote an update to professionals working in the fight against GC and to provide guidelines for the management of patients with this condition., Methods: Fifty-nine experts answered 67 statements regarding the diagnosis, staging, treatment and prognosis of GC with five possible alternatives: 1) fully agree; 2) partially agree; 3) undecided; 4) disagree and 5) strongly disagree A consensus was adopted when at least 80% of the sum of the answers "fully agree" and "partially agree" was reached. This article presents only the responses of the participating experts. Comments on each statement, as well as a literature review, will be presented in future publications., Results: Of the 67 statements, there was consensus in 50 (74%). In 10 declarations, there was 100% agreement., Conclusion: The gastric cancer treatment has evolved considerably in recent years. This consensus gathers consolidated principles in the last decades, new knowledge acquired recently, as well as promising perspectives on the management of this disease.

Introduction: Although the first laparoscopic gastrectomy was performed in 1991, there was a long delay until it was incorporated into the regular practice of western surgeons. In Brazil, there are only few case series reported and data on its safety and efficacy along with mid- and long-term results are desired., Objective: Present the mid-term results of laparoscopic gastrectomy with curative intent in the treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma and review the current evidence on the therapy of this neoplasia with the laparoscopic access., Methods: Patients who underwent D2 laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma were retrospectively reviewed., Results: Sixty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 59.2 years and the mean body mass index was 24.2 kg/m 2 . Subtotal gastrectomy was performed in 73.9%. The mean number of harvested lymph nodes was 36.7, increased lymph node count and shorter operative time were observed in the last 34 cases. Median hospital stay was 8 days. Postoperative complications occurred in 22 (31.9%) cases. Surgical mortality was 4.3%., Conclusion: Laparoscopic gastrectomy can be performed safely with excellent short- and mid-term results. As experience increases, surgical duration is reduced and lymph node count rises.

Background: Traditionally, total omentectomy is performed along with gastric resection and extended lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer (GC) surgery. However, solid evidences regarding its oncologic benefit is still scarce., Aim: To evaluate the incidence of metastatic omental lymph nodes (LN) in patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for GC, as well as its risk factors and patients' outcomes., Methods: All consecutive patients submitted to D2/modified D2 gastrectomy due to gastric adenocarcinoma from March 2009 to April 2016 were retrospectively reviewed from a prospective collected database., Results: Of 284 patients included, five (1.8%) patients had metastatic omental LN (one: pT3N3bM0; two: pT4aN3bM0; one: pT4aN2M0 and one pT4bN3bM0). Four of them deceased and one was under palliative chemotherapy due relapse. LN metastases in the greater omentum significantly correlated with tumor's size (p=0.018), N stage (p<0.001), clinical stage (p=0.022), venous invasion growth (p=0.003), recurrence (p=0.006), site of recurrence (peritoneum: p=0.008; liver: p=0.023; ovary: p=0.035) and death (p=0.008)., Conclusion: The incidence of metastatic omental LN of patients undergoing radical gastrectomy due to GC is extremely low. Total omentectomy may be avoided in tumors smaller than 5.25 cm and T1/T2 tumors. However, the presence of lymph node metastases in the greater omentum is associated with recurrence in the peritoneum, liver, ovary and death.

Background: Conversion therapy in gastric cancer (GC) is defined as the use of chemotherapy/radiotherapy followed by surgical resection with curative intent of a tumor that was prior considered unresectable or oncologically incurable., Aim: To evaluate the results of conversion therapy in the treatment of GC., Methods: Retrospective analysis of all GC surgeries between 2009 and 2018. Patients who received any therapy before surgery were further identified to define the conversion group., Results: Out of 1003 surgeries performed for GC, 113 cases underwent neoadjuvant treatment and 16 (1.6%) were considered as conversion therapy. The main indication for treatment was: T4b lesions (n=10), lymph node metastasis (n=4), peritoneal carcinomatosis and hepatic metastasis in one case each. The diagnosis was made by imaging in 14 cases (75%) and during surgical procedure in four (25%). The most commonly used chemotherapy regimens were XP and mFLOX. Major surgical complications occurred in four cases (25%) and one (6.3%) died. After an average follow-up of 20 months, 11 patients (68.7%) had recurrence and nine (56.3%) died. Prolonged recurrence-free survival over 40 months occurred in two cases., Conclusion: Conversion therapy may offer the possibility of prolonged survival for a group of GC patients initially considered beyond therapeutic possibility.

Introduction: The frequency of gastric neuroendocrine tumors is increasing. Reasons are the popularization of endoscopy and its technical refinements. Despite this, they are still poorly understood and have complex management., Aim: Update the knowledge on gastric neuroendocrine tumor and expose the future perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of this disease., Method: Literature review using the following databases: Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library and SciELO. Search terms were: gastric carcinoid, gastric neuroendocrine tumor, treatment. From the selected articles, 38 were included in this review., Results: Gastric neuroendocrine tumors are classified in four clinical types. Correct identification of the clinical type and histological grade is fundamental, since treatment varies accordingly and defines survival., Conclusion: Gastric neuroendocrine tumors comprise different subtypes with distinct management and prognosis. Correct identification allows for a tailored therapy. Further studies will clarify the diseases biology and improve its treatment.

Background: Intracorporeal digestive tract reconstruction after minimally invasive total gastrectomy may be challenging, even when using the da Vinci® Surgical System. This may be due to intrinsic difficulties during oesophago-jejunal anastomosis (EJA). The aim of this study was to describe a simple way to perform digestive tract reconstruction after robotic total gastrectomy (RTG) for gastric cancer and the results of its application in a small series of cases., Methods: In the last 2 years, six patients with gastric adenocarcinoma have been treated by RTG, four male and two female, with mean age of 59.8 (range 48-74) years. The tumour was located in the gastric body in three patients, the gastric antrum in two patients and the fundus in one patient with no need of splenectomy. In all cases, D2 lymphadenectomy was completed. A modified robotic reconstruction technique proposed by the authors was used in these operations, which consists in a latero-lateral EJA using a linear stapler. An entero-enterostomy is also performed in the upper abdomen., Results: The mean operative time was 408 (range 340-481) min. The mean time for digestive tract reconstruction was 57 (range 47-68) min. There were no conversions to open or laparoscopic surgery. The number of lymph nodes removed varied in the range 28-52 (average 40). There was no mortality. Postoperative staging showed three T1N0M0s, one T2N0M0, one T3N0M0 and one T3N2M0., Conclusion: This series, which despite being small, demonstrates that this robotic reconstruction technique is safe, with no major complications, demands a relatively short time for its accomplishment, even when dealing with initial experience. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Introduction: Minimally invasive surgery widely used to treat benign disorders of the digestive system, has become the focus of intense study in recent years in the field of surgical oncology. Since then, the experience with this kind of approach has grown, aiming to provide the same oncological outcomes and survival to conventional surgery. Regarding gastric cancer, surgery is still considered the only curative treatment, considering the extent of resection and lymphadenectomy performed. Conventional surgery remains the main modality performed worldwide. Notwithstanding, the role of the minimally invasive access is yet to be clarified., Objective: To evaluate and summarize the current status of minimally invasive resection of gastric cancer., Methods: A literature review was performed using Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library and SciELO with the following headings: gastric cancer, minimally invasive surgery, robotic gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastrectomy, stomach cancer. The language used for the research was English., Results: 28 articles were considered, including randomized controlled trials, meta-analyzes, prospective and retrospective cohort studies., Conclusion: Minimally invasive gastrectomy may be considered as a technical option in the treatment of early gastric cancer. As for advanced cancer, recent studies have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of the laparoscopic approach. Robotic gastrectomy will probably improve outcomes obtained with laparoscopy. However, high cost is still a barrier to its use on a large scale.

Background: Most nomograms for Gastric Cancer (GC) were developed to predict overall survival (OS) after curative resection. The Italian Research Group for Gastric Cancer (GIRCG) prognostic scoring system (PSS) was designed to predict the recurrence risk after curative treatment based on pathologic tumor stage and treatment performed (D1-D2/D3 lymphadenectomy). This study was carried out to externally validate the GIRCG's PSS., Patients and Methods: Adopting the same criteria used by GIRCG to build the PSS, 185 patients with GC operated with curative intention were selected. The median follow-up period was 77.8 months (1.93-150.8) for all patients and 102.5 months (60.9-150.8) for patients free of disease. The NRI (net reclassification improvement) was calculated to estimate the overall improvement in the reclassification of patients using the PSS in place of the TNM stage system., Results: GC recurrence occurred in 70 (37.8%) patients. The mean time to recurrence was 22.2 (range 1.9-98.1) months. For patients with recurrence, the gain in the proportion of reclassification was 0.257 (p < 0.001), indicating an improvement of 26%. For patients without recurrence, the gain in the proportion of reclassification was -0.122 (p < 0.001), indicating a worsening of 12%. The NRI calculated was 0.135 (p = 0.0527)., Conclusion: The GIRCG's PSS, which predicts the likelihood of recurrence after radical surgical treatment for GC, is more accurate than TNM system to predict recurrence mainly for high-risk patients. Yet, the PSS does not have the same effectiveness for low-risk patients, overestimating the chance of recurrence occurs even for disease-free patients., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Laparoscopic surgery has been increasingly applied to gastric cancer surgery. Gastrointestinal tract reconstruction totally done by laparoscopy also has been a challenge for those who developed this procedure., Aim: To describe simplified reconstruction after total or subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer by laparoscopy and the results of its application in a series of cases., Methods: In the last four years, 75 patients were operated with gastric cancer and two with GIST. Thirty-four were women and 43 men. The age ranged from 38 to 77 years with an average of 55 years. In two patients with GIST a total and a subtotal gastrectomy were performed. In the other 75 patients were done 21 total gastrectomies and 54 subtotal. In all cancers, gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy was completed with at least 37 lymph nodes removed. Was used in these operations a modified laparoscopic technique proposed by the authors consisting in a latero lateral esophagojejunal anastomosis with linear stapler in TG as well in STG, and reconstruction of the digestive continuity also in the upper abdomen., Results: The intraoperative and immediate postoperative course were uneventful, except for one case of bleeding due to an opening clip, necessitating re-intervention. The operative time was 300 minutes, with no difference between total or subtotal gastrectomy. The number of lymph nodes removed varied from 28 to 69, averaging 37. Postoperative staging showed one case in T4 N2 M0; 13 in T2 N0 MO; 27 in T2 N1 M0; 24 in T3 N1 M0 and 10 in T3 N2 M0. Complication in only one case was observed on the 10th postoperative day with a small anastomotic leakage in esophagojejunal anastomose with spontaneous closure., Conclusion: The patient's evolution with no complications, no mortality and just one small anastomotic leakage with no systemic repercussions is a strong indication of the liability and feasibility of this innovative technical method.