Prospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 16, 2023; 11(32): 7795-7805
Published online Nov 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i32.7795
Efficacy and safety of laparoscopic vs open gastrectomy after neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer
Chang-Da Yu, Ke Zhang
Chang-Da Yu, Ke Zhang, Department of General Surgery, Jiujiang First People’s Hospital, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi Province, China
Author contributions: Yu CD and Zhang K contributed to the data collection; Yu CD and Zhang K contributed to the data collection; Yu CD and Zhang K contributed to the formal analysis; Yu CD and Zhang K participated in the survey; Yu CD and Zhang K contributed to these methods; Yu CD guided the research; Yu CD and Zhang K jointly validated this study; Zhang K contributed to the visualization of this study; Yu CD drafted the first draft; and Yu CD and Zhang K jointly reviewed and edited the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Jiujiang First People’s Hospital.
Clinical trial registration statement: This study was registered at the Clinical Trial Registration Center Testing Center. The registration identification number is (researchregistry9243).
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent before study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose.
Data sharing statement: There is no additional data available.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 statement.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chang-Da Yu, MSc, Associate Chief Physician, Department of General Surgery, Jiujiang First People’s Hospital, No. 48 Taling South Road, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi Province, China. ycd136359835661123@163.com
Received: September 21, 2023
Peer-review started: September 21, 2023
First decision: October 9, 2023
Revised: October 10, 2023
Accepted: October 30, 2023
Article in press: October 30, 2023
Published online: November 16, 2023
Processing time: 55 Days and 18.4 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Gastric cancer is a significant global health concern, and treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) remains challenging. Laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) has gained acceptance as a minimally invasive approach for early gastric cancer treatment; however, its role in LAGC after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is still debated. Open gastrectomy (OG) is the traditional surgical approach for LAGC; however, it is associated with significant morbidity and a longer recovery time. Therefore, there is a need to assess the efficacy and safety of LG compared to those of OG in the context of LAGC after NAT.

Research motivation

The motivation behind this study is to address the controversy surrounding the role of LG in the treatment of LAGC after NAT. Although LG is widely accepted as a minimally invasive approach for early gastric cancer, its effectiveness and safety in LAGC after NAT remain debated. By comparing LG with OG in terms of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), surgical complications, and quality of life (QOL), this study aimed to provide evidence of the suitability of LG as an alternative to OG for patients with LAGC. Additionally, this study aimed to identify the potential benefits of LG, such as reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stays, lower incidence of surgical site infection, and improved QOL scores in multiple domains.

Research objectives

The main objectives of this study were to compare the efficacy and safety of LG with OG after NAT for LAGC and to evaluate the impact of these surgical approaches on patient outcomes and QOL.

Research methods

This prospective study compared the efficacy and safety of LG vs OG after NAT for LAGC. A total of 76 patients with LAGC who underwent NAT were included in the study, with 38 patients undergoing LG and 38 patients undergoing OG between 2021 and 2023. The novelty of this study lies in the comparison of LG and OG after NAT in patients with LAGC, focusing on survival outcomes, surgical complications, and QOL. By conducting a prospective study and utilizing statistical analysis, this study provides valuable insights into the efficacy and safety of LG as an alternative to OG in the treatment of LAGC. These findings contribute to the existing knowledge and help in making evidence-based recommendations for selecting the optimal surgical approach for patients with LAGC after NAT.

Research results

The research results demonstrated that LG is a viable and safe alternative to OG for the treatment of LAGC after NAT. The study compared the efficacy and safety of LG vs OG in 76 LAGC patients who underwent NAT. The OS and DFS rates were similar between the LG and OG groups. LG had several advantages, including reduced blood loss, a shorter hospital stay, and a lower incidence of surgical site infection compared to OG. Both groups had comparable rates of other surgical complications. Additionally, LG resulted in better QOL scores in multiple domains at 6 mo postoperatively. These findings contribute to the field by providing evidence-based recommendations for selecting the optimal surgical approach for LAGC patients after NAT. However, further research is needed to explore long-term survival outcomes and refine patient selection criteria.

Research conclusions

We compared the efficacy and safety of LG vs OG after NAT for treating LAGC. This study aimed to provide evidence-based recommendations for selecting the optimal surgical approach for patients with LAGC after NAT, based on a comparison of outcomes and QOL between LG and OG.

Research perspectives

Future research should prioritize investigating long-term survival outcomes, refining patient selection criteria, conducting comparative cost analyses, and standardizing NAT protocols. These efforts aim to enhance the management of LAGC after NAT. By gaining a deeper understanding of the effectiveness and durability of treatment options such as LG vs OG, identifying specific patient characteristics for optimized surgical approaches, assessing economic implications, and establishing standardized protocols, future studies can contribute to improved patient outcomes and inform clinical decision-making in the treatment of LAGC.