Laparoscopic gastrectomy is a widely used minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer. However, skillful techniques are required to perform lymph node dissection using straight shaped forceps, particularly for D2 dissection. Robotic surgery using the da Vinci surgical system is anticipated to be a powerful tool for performing difficult techniques using high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) images and the EndoWrist equipped with seven degrees of freedom. Attempts are being made to apply robotic surgery in gastrectomy procedures mainly in Japan, South Korea, and Europe. Although definite superiority to laparoscopic gastrectomy is yet to be proven, robotic surgery has been reported to have a shorter learning curve and offer more precise dissection for total gastrectomy. Hence, its oncological efficacy needs to be verified in a clinical trial.

Background Preoperative wait time is affected by various factors, and a certain time is needed before surgery. There is a concern that cancer treatment delay can lead to poor survival. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of preoperative wait time on survival in patients with clinical stage (cStage) II/III gastric cancer. Methods The study included patients with cStage II/III primary gastric cancer undergoing surgery between 2002 and 2012. Preoperative wait time was defined as the time from endoscopy for initial diagnosis to surgery. Patients were divided into the following three groups according to wait time: short wait group (≤ 30 days), intermediate wait group (> 30 and ≤ 60 days), and long wait group (> 60 and ≤ 90 days). Patient characteristics and survival were compared among the groups. Results This study included 467 male (67%) and 229 female (33%) patients, and the median patient age was 67 years. The numbers of cStage II and III patients were 332 (48%) and 364 (52%), respectively. The median wait time was 45 days. The body mass index was lower in the short wait group than in the other groups. A shorter wait time tended to be associated with a more advanced cStage. Although survival was significantly worse in the short wait group than in the long wait group, wait time was not identified as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis. Conclusion Preoperative wait time up to 90 days does not affect survival in patients with cStage II/III gastric cancer.

The incidence of postoperative delirium was 4.5% in gastric cancer patients. Male gender, age ≥ 75 years, a history of cerebrovascular disease, and the habitual use of narcoleptic agents were risk factors for postoperative delirium after gastrectomy in gastric cancer patients. Postoperative delirium was strongly associated with other postoperative complications and a poor survival after surgery.

Background The REGATTA trial showed that gastrectomy followed by chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer with a single non-curable factor did not improve survival outcomes in comparison with chemotherapy alone. Chemotherapy is therefore the mainstay treatment for incurable gastric cancer. However, for patients who are unfit for chemotherapy, the role of palliative gastrectomy remains controversial. Methods We retrospectively identified 207 patients with in curable gastric cancer who underwent palliative gastrectomy or bypass surgery because of urgent symptoms who were treated from 2002 to 2014. Fifty-nine of these patients who did not receive chemotherapy following surgery were enrolled in the present study. The patients were divided into the palliative gastrectomy group (n = 40) and the bypass surgery group (n = 19). The survival outcomes of the two groups were compared. Independent prognostic factors were identified using multivariate analysis. ResultsThe rate of patients who underwent gastrectomy was significantly higher among patients whose tumors were located in the upper third (n = 19/20, 95%) than in patients whose tumors were located in the lower or middle third (n = 21/39, 54%, p = 0.001). The median survival time (MST) in the gastrectomy group (145 days) was significantly longer than that in the bypass group (86 days) (p = 0.008). Bypass surgery was identified as an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis (HR = 2.3; 95%CI = 1.3-4.2 p = 0.007). Conclusions Palliative gastrectomy may improve survival in patients with incurable gastric cancer who show emergent symptoms and who are unfit for chemotherapy.

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