Long-term outcomes and survival after laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer: Three-year survival analysis of a single-center experience in Korea

Background and Objectives: Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) has been established as an alternative treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC) because of excellent short-term results. However, only a few reports have considered the long-term outcomes of LADG. In this study, we investigated the 3-year outcome and survival of patients who underwent LADG. Methods: We assessed 182 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent LADG. The indication for LADG was confined to EGCs (T1N0 or T1N1 cases). The clinicopathological characteristics and long-term survival data of all patients were analyzed. Results: The overall morbidity and mortality rates of the patients were 11% and 0%, respectively. An analysis of the final pathological stages of the patients revealed that 160 had stage Ia, 20 had stage Ib, and only 2 had stage II. The median follow-up period was 44 months (range, 2-73 months), and there were two recurrences. Five patients died of other causes, but no patients died of a gastric cancer recurrence. The 3-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were 97.3% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: LADG for EGC is acceptable in terms of both short- and long-term outcomes. Thus, LADG can be considered a primary treatment for EGC.