Outcome of laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1 plus lymph node dissection in gastric cancer patients postoperatively diagnosed with locally advanced disease or lymph node metastasis.

Background: Some laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) patients are postoperatively diagnosed with locally advanced disease or lymph node metastasis. Few reports have reviewed the outcomes or validity of LG in such patients.

Methods: We retrospectively compared the outcomes of LG for gastric cancer patients postoperatively diagnosed with T3 (subserosal invasion) or higher or N1 (metastasis in 1-2 regional lymph nodes), or higher disease (n = 36), with open gastrectomy (OG) for c-stage I gastric cancer patients (n = 62).

Results: D1 plus lymph node dissection was performed in all patients in the LG group. Blood loss was significantly lower in the LG group than in the OG group (P < 0.0010). The mean postoperative hospital stay duration was significantly shorter in the LG group than in the OG group (P = 0.0016). In the LG group, lymph node metastasis occurred in 1 patient, peritoneal dissemination in 2 patients, and liver metastasis in 1 patient. The 5-year survival rate did not significantly differ between the LG and OG groups (90.00 vs. 94.52 %; P = 0.6517).

Conclusions: Given the similarity in long-term outcomes between the LG and OG groups, LG is an appropriate indication for gastric cancer patients postoperatively diagnosed with locally advanced disease or lymph node metastasis.