Retrospective Study
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World J Gastrointest Surg. Apr 27, 2014; 6(4): 59-64
Published online Apr 27, 2014. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v6.i4.59
Short-term efficacy of laparoscopy-assisted vs open radical gastrectomy in gastric cancer
Hong-Tao Li, Xiao-Peng Han, Lin Su, Wan-Kun Zhu, Wei Xu, Kun Li, Qing-Chuan Zhao, Hua Yang, Hong-Bin Liu
Hong-Tao Li, Xiao-Peng Han, Lin Su, Wan-Kun Zhu, Wei Xu, Kun Li, Hong-Bin Liu, Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, Lanzhou 730050, Gansu Province, China
Qing-Chuan Zhao, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Disease, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China
Hua Yang, Xinqiao Hospital, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China
Author contributions: Li HT and Liu HB designed the study and wrote the manuscript; Han XP, Su L, Zhu WK, Xu W, Li K performed the majority of the experiments; Zhao QC, Yang H were also involved in editing the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Hong-Bin Liu, Professor, Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, #333 Binhe South Road, Lanzhou 730050, Gansu Province, China. liuhongbin999@163.com
Telephone: +86-931-8994364  Fax: +86-931-8994002
Received: November 28, 2013
Revised: February 16, 2014
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: April 27, 2014
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the short-term benefits of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (LARG) and open radical gastrectomy (ORG) in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS: A total of 400 patients with gastric cancer aged ≤ 65 years who were treated at General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region were enrolled. Among these, 200 patients underwent LARG between October 2008 and August 2012 (LARG group); and 200 patients underwent ORG between March 2000 and September 2008 (ORG group). The short-term therapeutic benefits between the two groups were analyzed.

RESULTS: The LARG procedure offered significantly better benefits to the patients compared to the ORG procedure, including less intraoperative blood loss (103.1 ± 19.5 mL vs 163.0 ± 32.9 mL, P < 0.0001), shorter postoperative hospital stay (6.8 ± 1.2 d vs 9.5 ± 1.6 d, P < 0.0001), less frequent occurrence of postoperative complications (6.5% vs 13.5%, P = 0.02), shorter time to mobilization (1.0 ± 0.3 vs 3.3 ± 0.4 d, P < 0.0001), shorter time to bowel opening (3.3 ± 0.7 d vs 4.5 ± 0.7 d, P < 0.0001), and shorter time to normal diet (3.0 ± 0.4 vs d 3.8 ± 0.5 d, P < 0.0001). However, LARG required a longer time to complete than the ORG procedure (192.3 ± 20.9 min vs 180.0 ± 26.9 min, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: Compared to ORG, LARG is safer, more effective, and less invasive for treating gastric cancer, with better short-term efficacy.

Keywords: Laparoscopic surgery, Gastric cancer, Short-term efficacy, Open surgery

Core tip: We compared patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy (LARG) with those who underwent open radical surgery (ORG) in terms of intra- and postoperative benefits. LARG was successfully completed without needing to convert to laparotomy in all patients, and no residual cancerous tissues were noted in the surgical margins. LARG offered the patients several better short-term benefits compared to the ORG procedure, such as less intraoperative blood loss, shorter hospitalization time, shorter time to mobilization, and shorter time to bowel opening. Additionally, LARG was also associated with fewer postoperative complications.