Safety of laparoscopic local resection for gastrointestinal stromal tumors near the esophagogastric junction.

Purpose: Laparoscopic local resection for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) near the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) increases the risk of injuring the EGJ. We investigated the safety of laparoscopic local resection for GISTs near the EGJ according to the distance from the EGJ to the tumor edge.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 40 patients who had undergone laparoscopic local resection for GISTs near the EGJ between January 2009 and December 2019. After excluding 1 patient who had undergone right colectomy at the same time, 39 patients were classified according to distance of the GIST from the EGJ in the Near group (0-2.0 cm; n = 16) and the Far group (2.1-5.0 cm; n = 23).

Results: We found no marked differences in the operation time, blood loss, length of postoperative hospital stay, or postoperative complication rate in the two groups. Anastomotic leakage occurred with a tumor located on the EGJ. Three tumors recurred in the Near group, and all of them were located on the EGJ.

Conclusion: Except for GISTs located on the EGJ, laparoscopic local resection for GISTs near the EGJ can be performed safely with few postoperative complications and a low risk of recurrence.