Surgical outcome of laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy with extraperigastric lymph node dissection for gastric cancer

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) with extraperigastric lymph node dissection for gastric cancer. Methods The authors attempted LAG with extraperigastric lymph node dissection in 117 consecutive gastric cancer patients between May 1998 and January 2004. The clinico-pathologic characteristics, operative outcomes, post-operative morbidities and mortalities, and follow-up findings of patients with advanced gastric cancer were evaluated. Results LAG with extraperigastric lymph node dissection were successfully performed in 114 of 117 patients (success rate, 97%). Of these 114 successful cases, 100 cases were early gastric cancers and 14 cases were advanced gastric cancers. The mean operation time for the 114 cases was 259 (range 150–415) min, and the mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 23 (range 6–66). Operative mortality, hospital death, and overall post-operative complication rates were 0, 1.7 and 14.7%, respectively. Follow-up was available in 110 of the 112 patients (two post-operative hospital deaths were excluded from the 114). Follow-up ranged from 6 to 74 months (median: 19). 108 patients remain alive without recurrence or port-site metastasis. Conclusions LAG with extraperigastric lymph node dissection is a technically feasible and acceptable method for the surgical treatment of gastric cancer.