Published online Jul 7, 2017. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i25.4595
Peer-review started: March 26, 2017
First decision: April 7, 2017
Revised: April 10, 2017
Accepted: June 1, 2017
Article in press: June 1, 2017
Published online: July 7, 2017
Processing time: 105 Days and 22.5 Hours
To compare the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic (LR) vs open resection (OR) for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (gGISTs).
In total, 301 consecutive patients undergoing LR or OR for pathologically confirmed gGISTs from 2005 to 2014 were enrolled in this retrospective study. After exclusion of 77 patients, 224 eligible patients were enrolled (122 undergoing LR and 102 undergoing OR). The demographic, clinicopathologic, and survival data of all patients were collected. The intraoperative, postoperative, and long-term oncologic outcomes were compared between the LR and OR groups following the propensity score matching to balance the measured covariates between the two groups.
After 1:1 propensity score matching for the set of covariates including age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiology score, tumor location, tumor size, surgical procedures, mitotic count, and risk stratification, 80 patients in each group were included in the final analysis. The baseline parameters of the two groups were comparable after matching. The LR group was significantly superior to the OR group with respect to the operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative first flatus, time to oral intake, and postoperative hospital stay (P < 0.05). No differences in perioperative blood transfusion or the incidence of postoperative complications were observed between the two groups (P > 0.05). No significant difference was found in postoperative adjuvant therapy (P = 0.587). The mean follow-up time was 35.30 ± 26.02 (range, 4-102) mo in the LR group and 40.99 ± 25.07 (range, 4-122) mo in the OR group with no significant difference (P = 0.161). Survival analysis showed no significant difference in the disease-free survival time or overall survival time between the two groups (P > 0.05).
Laparoscopic surgery for gGISTs is superior to open surgery with respect to intraoperative parameters and postoperative outcomes without compromising long-term oncological outcomes.
Core tip: Surgical treatment is the gold standard for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (gGISTs). Increasingly more surgeons are performing laparoscopic resection (LR) to treat gGISTs due to the development and superiority of laparoscopic technology. The efficacy and safety of LR remain unconfirmed and more high-level clinical evidence is required. This study retrospectively compared the short- and long-term outcomes of LR vs open resection (OR) for gGISTs using propensity score matching to adjust for confounding variables in the baseline data and found that LR is superior to OR with respect to intraoperative parameters and postoperative recovery outcomes without compromising long-term oncological outcomes.