Comparison of short-term efficacy between totally laparoscopic gastrectomy and laparoscopic assisted gastrectomy for elderly patients with gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Totally laparoscopic gastrectomy(TLG)entails both gastrectomy and gastrointestinal reconstruction under laparoscopy.Compared with laparoscopic assisted gastrectomy(LAG),TLG has been demonstrated in many studies to require a smaller surgical incision,result in a faster postoperative recovery and less pain and have comparable long-term efficacy,which has been a research hotspot in recent years.Whether TLG is equally safe and feasible for elderly patients remains unclear.AIM To compare the short-term efficacy of and quality of life(QOL)associated with TLG and LAG in elderly gastric cancer(GC)patients.METHODS The clinicopathological data of 462 elderly patients aged≥70 years who underwent LAG or TLG(including distal gastrectomy and total gastrectomy)between January 2017 and January 2022 at the Department of General Surgery,First Medical Center,Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively collected.A total of 232 patients were in the LAG group,and 230 patients were in the TLG group.Basic patient information,clinicopathological characteristics,operation information and QOL data were collected to compare efficacy.Compared with those in the LAG group,intraoperative blood loss in the TLG group was significantly lower(P<0.001),and the time to first flatus and postoperative hospitalization time were significantly shorter(both P<0.001).The overall incidence of postoperative complications in the TLG group was significantly lower than that in the LAG group(P=0.01).Binary logistic regression results indicated that LAG and an operation time>220 min were independent risk factors for postoperative complications in elderly patients with GC(P<0.05).In terms of QOL,no statistically significant differences in various preoperative indicators were found between the LAG group and the LTG group(P>0.05).Compared with the laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy group,patients who received totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy had lower nausea and vomiting scores and higher satisfaction with their body image(P<0.05).Patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy were more satisfied with their body image than patients in the totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION TLG is safe and feasible for elderly patients with GC and has outstanding advantages such as reducing intracorporeal blood loss,promoting postoperative recovery and improving QOL.

Comparison efficacy and safety of total laparoscopic gastrectomy and laparoscopically assisted total gastrectomy in treatment of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND The development of laparoscopic technology has provided a new choice for surgery of gastric cancer(GC),but the advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic total gastrectomy(LTG)and laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy(LATG)in treatment effect and safety are still controversial.The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of the two methods in the treatment of GC,and to provide a basis for clinical decision-making.AIM To compare the efficacy of totally LTG(TLTG)and LATG in the context of radical gastrectomy for GC.Additionally,we investigated the safety and feasibility of the total laparoscopic esophagojejunostomy technique.METHODS Literature on comparative studies of the above two surgical methods for GC(TLTG group and LATG group)published before September 2022 were searched in the PubMed,Web of Science,Wanfang Database,CNKI,and other Chinese and English databases.In addition,the following search keywords were used:Gastric cancer,total gastrectomy,total laparoscopy,laparoscopy-assisted,esophagojejunal anastomosis,gastric/stomach cancer,total gastrectomy,totally/completely laparoscopic,laparoscopic assisted/laparoscopy assisted/laparoscopically assisted,and esophagojejunostomy/esophagojejunal anastomosis.Review Manager 5.3 software was used for the meta-analysis after two researchers independently screened the literature,extracted the data,and evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies.RESULTS After layer-by-layer screening,258 pieces of literature were recovered,and 11 of those pieces were eventually included.This resulted in a sample size of 2421 instances,with 1115 cases falling into the TLTG group and 1306 cases into the LATG group.Age or sex differences between the two groups were not statistically significant,according to the meta-analysis,however the average body mass index of the TLTG group was considerably higher than that of the LATG group(P=0.01).Compared with those in the LATG group,the incision length in the TLTG group was significantly shorter(P<0.001),the amount of intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower(P=0.003),the number of lymph nodes removed was significantly greater(P=0.04),and the time of first postoperative feeding and postoperative hospitalization were also significantly shorter(P=0.03 and 0.02,respectively).There were no significant differences in tumor size,length of proximal incisal margin,total operation time,anastomotic time,postoperative pain score,postoperative anal exhaust time,postoperative anastomosis-related complications(including anastomotic fistula,anastomotic stenosis,and anastomotic hemorrhage),or overall postoperative complication rate(P>0.05).CONCLUSION TLTG and esophagojejunostomy are safe and feasible.Compared with LATG,TLTG has the advantages of less trauma,less bleeding,easier access to lymph nodes,and faster postoperative recovery,and TLTG is also suitable for obese patients.