Published online Nov 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i32.7795
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
Core Tip: Laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) is a viable and safe approach to treating locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of LG vs open gastrectomy (OG) after NAT in patients with LAGC. The results demonstrated comparable overall survival and disease-free survival rates between the two groups. Additionally, LG exhibits advantages such as reduced blood loss, a shorter hospital stay, and a lower incidence of surgical site infection than OG. The two groups had similar rates of other surgical complications. Furthermore, LG yielded better quality of life (QOL) scores in terms of physical functioning, role functioning, global health status, fatigue, pain, appetite loss, and body image at 6 months postoperatively. These findings suggest that LG after NAT is a feasible and safe option for LAGC, providing comparable survival outcomes along with improved short-term recovery and QOL compared to OG.