Short-term outcomes of laparoscopic / robotic gastrectomy compared with open gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer following chemotherapy

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate the short-term outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy / robotic gastrectomy after chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer and compare these outcomes with those of open gastrectomy. Methods : Fifty patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer after chemotherapy between 2007 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups : the laparoscopic gastrectomy / robotic gastrectomy (n = 11) and open gastrectomy (n = 39) groups. The short-term outcomes of these procedures were subsequently examined. Results : The laparoscopic gastrectomy / robotic gastrectomy group had significantly shorter hospital stays and lower intraoperative blood loss than the open gastrectomy group. The overall complication rates were 12.8% (5 of 39 patients) and 0% (0 of 11 patients) in the open gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastrectomy / robotic gastrectomy groups, respectively (P = 0.1). Conclusions : Laparoscopic gastrectomy / robotic gastrectomy may be a surgical option after chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer.