Loading...
Surgical resection of gastric cancer employing a D2 lymphadenectomy is the global standard of care for locally advanced gastric cancer. Laparoscopic resection of early-stage disease has been increasingly adopted over open resection, but its application in more locally advanced disease has not been clearly defined.
Investigators from China now report results of a large, multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing laparoscopic versus open gastric resection in 1056 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. Preoperative staging included CT scan imaging and optional endoscopic ultrasonography. The pathologic stage distribution among patients was balanced, with 41% having node negative disease, 74%–76% having T2–T4a disease, and 30% ha…