Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer in Elderly Patients

Short- and Long-Term Advantages of Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Elderly Patients with Locally Advanced Cancer

Minimally invasive surgery has provided several clinical advantages in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) care, although a consensus on its application criteria remains unclear. Surgery remains a careful choice in elderly patients, who frequently present with frailty, comorbidities, and other disabling diseases. This study aims to assess the possible advantages of laparoscopic gastric resections in elderly patients presenting with LAGC. This retrospective study analyzed a single-center series of elderly patients (≥75 years) undergoing curative resections for LAGC between 2015 and 2020. A comparative analysis of open versus laparoscopic approaches was conducted, focusing on postoperative complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), and long-term survival. A total of 62 patients underwent gastrectomy through an open or a laparoscopic approach (31 pts each). The study population did not show statistically significant differences in demographics, operative risk, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The laparoscopic group reported significantly minimized overall complications (45.2 vs. 71%, p = 0.039) and pulmonary complications (0 vs. 9.7%, p = 0.038) as well as a shorter LOS (8 vs. 12 days, p = 0.007). Lymph node harvest was equal between the groups, although long-term overall survival presented significantly better after laparoscopic gastrectomy (p = 0.048), without a relevant difference in terms of disease-free and disease-specific survivals. Laparoscopic gastrectomy proves effective in elderly LAGC patients, offering substantial short- and long-term postoperative benefits.

Laparoscopy-assisted vs open total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy for advanced gastric cancer: results of a retrospective, multicenter study

The aim of this study was to retrospectively compare the results of laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) with those of open total gastrectomy (OTG) for advanced gastric cancer. Patients undergoing total gastrectomy for a T4a, N0-3a-b, M0 gastric adenocarcinoma were divided into two groups. Patients in group A (n = 122) underwent LAG, whereas patients in group B (n = 109) underwent OTG. Mean length of follow-up was 39 months. Primary study's endpoints were postoperative mortality and morbidity, overall late survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary endpoints were the number of retrieved lymph nodes, operating time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative length of stay (LOS) and the incidence of local recurrence. Twenty-four patients in group A (19.6%) required conversion into OTG. Postoperative mortality was absent in both groups. Postoperative morbidity was 19% in group A and 11% in group B [p = 0.19]. OS was 34% in group A and 42% in group B [p = 0.21]. DFS was 29% in group A and 33% in group B [p = 0.49]. Mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 29 in group A and 34 in group B [p < 0.01]. Mean intraoperative blood loss was 230 ml in group A and 180 ml in group B [p = 0.02]. Mean postoperative LOS was 9 days in group A and 11 days in group B [p = 0.09]. Local recurrence was 19% in group A and 13% in group B [p = 0.20]. For advanced gastric cancer, OTG favorably compares with LATG.

Preoperative Risk Factors and Prognostic Impact of Postoperative Complications Associated with Total Gastrectomy

INTRODUCTION

We evaluated the risk factors for patients with gastric cancer (GC) undergoing total gastrectomy (TG) that predict postoperative complications, including anastomotic leakage, postoperative pneumonia, and heart disease.

METHODS

We collected 106 patients who received TG for GC between May 2009 and May 2017 at Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, including clinicopathologic, surgical, postoperative complication, laboratory test, and physiologic test data.

RESULTS

Of 106 patients, 92 (86.8%) had no complications, and 14 (13.2%) had complications. Univariate analyses revealed that a high American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of ≥3.5 significantly correlated with postoperative complications. Multivariate analyses showed that high ASA-PS was an independent prognostic factor of postoperative complications. The cancer recurrence rate was 34.8% in the noncomplication group and 71.4% in the complication group.

CONCLUSION

Patients with postoperative complications are prone to recurrence and poor prognosis. For patients with high-risk GC with poor ASA-PS and high NLR, more thorough perioperative management is essential.

Dismal prognosis of elderly gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 3

BACKGROUND

Although the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 3 is relatively common in elderly patients, there have been few debates on the indications for gastrectomy in elderly gastric cancer (GC) patients with ASA3. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate gastrectomy's clinical relevance in elderly patients with GC and ASA3.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 228 consecutive elderly GC patients (aged ≥ 75 years) without prior treatments who underwent curative gastrectomy between 2013 and 2017.

RESULTS

Thirty-three patients with ASA3 showed significantly poorer prognosis than those with ASA1 and 2 (p = 0.004). The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that ASA3 (p = 0.021) and pStage (p = 0.007) were independent prognostic factors, respectively. Elderly GC patients with pStage III and ASA3 exhibited uniquely dismal prognosis (p < 0.001); however, several survivors were still confirmed. Postoperative complications (PCs) were only the final remnant independent prognostic factor (p = 0.020) among the 33 elderly GC patients with ASA3, where dead patients included cancer-specific and other deaths, especially pneumonia. PCs were independently associated with prognostic nutritional index (PNI) (< 42.7) in elderly GC patients, and the most frequent complication was pneumonia, which was significantly associated with ASA3 and marginally associated with PNI in a multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

ASA3 has a dismal prognosis after curative gastrectomy in the elderly GC patients, but the number of survivors was confirmed. Curative gastrectomy is not considered contraindicated even in elderly GC with ASA3. Preoperative malnutrition is associated with PCs, which proposing preoperative nutritional intervention in the context of treatment strategy for the elderly GC patients with ASA3.

Validity and safety of laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy for very elderly advanced gastric cancer patients; retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

It remains unclear whether laparoscopic gastrectomy with optimal lymphadenectomy is appropriate for very elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer. This study aimed to assess the validity of laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy performed for advanced gastric cancer in patients aged 80 years or more.

METHODS

Included in this retrospective study were 122 patients who underwent curative laparoscopic gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer between 2013 and 2018. All patients over 80 years old underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy. We divided patients by age between those who were very elderly (age ≥ 80 years; very elderly group [n = 57]) and those who were non-very elderly (age < 80 years; control group [n = 65]), and we compared patient and clinicopathological characteristics, intraoperative outcomes, and short- and long-term outcomes between the two groups. We also performed multivariate analyses to identify predictors of postoperative prognosis.

RESULTS

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of grade 2 or higher and mean Charlson comorbidity index score and body mass index were significantly different between the very elderly group and the control group. Adjuvant chemotherapy was used in relatively few very elderly group patients. Operation time, blood loss volume, and postoperative morbidity and mortality did not differ between the two groups. The overall survival and disease-specific survival rate of very elderly group patients with the Charlson comorbidity index score of <3 was not significantly different from that of the control group patients.

CONCLUSION

The treatment of advanced gastric cancer by laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy to be both safe and effective in the very elderly group patients with the Charlson comorbidity index score of <3.

The Safety and Clinical Validity of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Early Gastric Cancer in Patients Aged More Than 85 Years

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a safe and minimally invasive method for the treatment of early gastric cancer (EGC). However, whether ESD for EGC is also safe and feasible in patients aged ≥85 years is unclear. The patients enrolled in this study were divided into three groups: age ≥85 years (44 patients, 49 lesions), age 65−84 years (624 patients, 687 lesions), and age ≤64 years (162 patients, 174 lesions). We evaluated the incidence of adverse events (AEs) and overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). We analyzed the factors that had a significant impact on the prognosis of patients aged ≥85 years. No significant differences were found in the incidence of AEs among the three groups (p = 0.612). The OS was significantly lower in patients aged ≥85 years (p < 0.001). Conversely, DSS was not significantly worse in patients aged ≥85 years (p = 0.100). The poor Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index correlated with poor prognosis in patients aged ≥85 years (p < 0.001). ESD is a safe and valid treatment for EGC in patients aged ≥85 years. However, the indications should be carefully decided because it is difficult to estimate the survival contribution of ESD for EGC in patients aged ≥85 years, especially in those with poor nutritional status.

Comparison of Standard D2 and Limited Lymph Node Dissection in Elderly Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

Knowledge on the optimal extent of lymphadenectomy among elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer is limited. This study was designed to compare standard D2 and limited lymphadenectomy for evaluating the appropriate extent of lymphadenectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed patient's data based on a prospectively collected gastric cancer registry. The inclusion criteria were age above 75 years and histologically confirmed stage II or more advanced gastric cancer. In this study, 103 patients who underwent limited lymph node dissection and 134 patients who underwent standard D2 lymph node dissection were included to evaluate surgical and oncological outcomes using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.

RESULTS

The mean age after PSM was approximately 78 years in both groups. The Charlson Comorbidity Index was 5.81 ± 0.87 and 5.75 ± 0.76, respectively, and 12.5% of the patients in both groups had American Society of Anesthesiologists scores of more than 3. The limited lymphadenectomy group showed a shorter operation time and fewer retrieved lymph. However, other surgical outcomes and pathological data were not significantly different between the groups. No postoperative mortality within 30 days was observed. There were no significant differences in overall complications between the groups. The 3-year overall survival rates of the limited and standard lymphadenectomy groups were 58.3% and 73.6%, respectively. The 3-year recurrence-free survival rate of the limited lymphadenectomy group was lower than that of the standard lymphadenectomy group; however, the difference was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Standard D2 lymphadenectomy has better oncological outcomes in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer in older adult patients: a retrospective study and literature review

Background

With increasing life expectancy, the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) in older adults is increasing. This study analyzed differences in GC characteristics according to age and sex among patients who underwent surgical treatment for GC.

Methods

A total of 2,983 patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent surgical treatment at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between 2003 and 2017 were classified into three groups: I (<65 years, n=1,680), II (60–74 years, n=919), and III (≥75 years, n=384). We compared the baseline clinical characteristics, pathological characteristics of the tumor, overall and GC-specific survival rates, and associated risk factors between the groups.

Results

Cancer of the distal third of the stomach (p<0.001), with intestinal-type histology (p<0.001), and with p53 overexpression (p=0.004) were more common in groups II and III than in group I, and the proportion of intestinal-type GC increased with age. The cancer type, lymph node metastasis, and cancer stage did not differ significantly. In terms of overall survival, survival decreased with increasing age (p<0.001), but this difference decreased significantly for GC-specific survival. Cox multivariate analyses revealed age, histologic type (diffuse or mixed type), and advanced cancer stage (p=0.002, 0.001, and <0.001, respectively) as risk factors for GC-related mortality.

Conclusion

Age itself was found to be one of the most important prognostic factors for overall and disease-specific survival in elderly GC patients, along with cancer stage.

Is surgery the best treatment for elderly gastric cancer patients?

As the elderly population increases, the number of patients with gastric cancer has also been increasing. Elderly people have various preoperative problems such as malnutrition, high frequency of comorbidities, decreased performance status, and dementia. Furthermore, when surgery is performed, high postoperative complication rates and death from other diseases are also concerns. The goal of surgery in the elderly is that short-term outcomes are comparable to those in nonelderly, and long-term outcomes reach life expectancy. Perioperative problems in the elderly include: (1) Poor perioperative nutritional status; (2) Postoperative pneumonia; and (3) Psychological problems (dementia and postoperative delirium). Malnutrition in the elderly has been reported to be associated with increased postoperative complications and dementia, pointing out the importance of nutritional management. In addition, multidisciplinary team efforts, including perioperative respiratory rehabilitation, preoperative oral care, and early postoperative mobilization programs, are effective in preventing postoperative pneumonia. Furthermore, there are many reports on the usefulness of laparoscopic surgery for the elderly, and we considered that minimally invasive surgery would be the optimal treatment after assessing preoperative risk.