Comparison of outcomes after laparoscopy-assisted and open total gastrectomy for early gastric cancer

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the results of laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy with those of open total gastrectomy for early gastric cancer.

Methods: Patients with gastric cancer who underwent total gastrectomy with curative intent in three Korean tertiary hospitals between January 2003 and December 2010 were included in this multicentre, retrospective, propensity score-matched cohort study. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association between operation method and survival.

Results: A total of 753 patients with early gastric cancer were included in the study. There were no significant differences in the matched cohort for overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) for laparoscopy-assisted versus open total gastrectomy 0.96, 95 per cent c.i. 0.57 to 1.65) or recurrence-free survival (HR 2.20, 0.51 to 9.52). The patterns of recurrence were no different between the two groups. The severity of complications, according to the Clavien-Dindo classification, was similar in both groups. The most common complications were anastomosis-related in the laparoscopy-assisted group (8.0 per cent versus 4.2 per cent in the open group; P = 0.015) and wound-related in the open group (1.6 versus 5.6 per cent respectively; P = 0.003). Postoperative death was more common in the laparoscopy-assisted group (1.6 versus 0.2 per cent; P = 0.045).

Conclusion: Laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy for early gastric cancer is feasible in terms of long-term results, including survival and recurrence. However, a higher postoperative mortality rate and an increased risk of anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy are of concern.