• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.66-76
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• 2023

Endoscopy is an important noninvasive procedure for patients with gastrointestinal problems. However, surgical techniques are shifting to laparoscopic surgery, and changes in endoscopic findings after laparoscopic surgery differ from those after previous surgical methods. Postoperative endoscopic findings differ from normal anatomical structures, and findings reportedly vary depending on the type of surgical technique. Therefore, we aimed to summarize the surgical and endoscopic findings for each surgical method from the surgeon's point of view. The causes of gastric emptying delay, bleeding, afferent loop syndrome, or anastomosis leakage occurring after gastric cancer surgery can be identified via upper gastrointestinal endoscopy that is relatively less invasive than the surgical method. Regarding postoperative anastomosis leakage, endoscopy can directly evaluate the degree of leakage at the anastomosis site more accurately than computed tomography and enable immediate intervention. As endoscopy is less invasive than the surgical method, patients can be evaluated and treated more safely. However, coordination between the surgeon and the endoscopist is necessary to perform the procedures effectively. Therefore, reviewing the changes in surgical and endoscopic findings is important.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.209-213
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• 2015

A 78-year-old man underwent laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy for gastric cancer (pT3N0M0). Multiple port sites were used, including a 10 mm port for a videoscope at the umbilical point and three other working ports. During the six-month follow-up evaluation, a 2 cm enhancing mass confined to the muscle layer was found 12 mm from the right lower quadrant port site, suggesting a metastatic or desmoid tumor. Follow-up computed tomography imaging two months later showed that the mass had increased in size to 3.5 cm. We confirmed that there was no intra-abdominal metastasis by diagnostic laparoscopy and then performed a wide resection of the recurrent mass. The histologic findings revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, suggesting a metastatic mass from the stomach cancer. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient completed adjuvant chemotherapy with TS-1 (tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil potassium). There was no evidence of tumor recurrence during the 50-month follow-up period.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.95-108
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• 2004

This nationwide survey was conducted to evaluate the current status of clinical practice for gastric cancer patients in Korea. The Information Committee of the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) sent questionnaires containing 45 items about the preoperative diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment, and postoperative follow-up for gastric cancer patients to all 298 KGCA members in 108 institutes. Response rates were $32.6\%$ (97/298) for individuals and $59.3\%$ (64/108) for institutes. Most university hospitals responded (response rate of university hospitals: $71.6\%$, 48/67). The preoperative staging work up was performed primarily by abdominal CT, followed by bone scans, abdominal ultrasound, endoscopic ultrasound, and so on. Gastric cancer patients with stages II, III, and IV usually received adjuvant chemotherapy after a curative operation. About half of the surgeons regarded 2 cm as a safe resection margin in early gastric cancer and 5 cm in advanced gastric cancer. More than half of surgeons usually performed a D2 lymph node dissection in early gastric cancer and D2+$\alpha$ lymph node dissection in advanced gastric cancer. About $20\%$ of surgeons performed less invasive surgery and/or function-preserving surgery, such as a pylorus-preserving gastrectomy, a laparoscopic wedge resection, or a laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.221-235
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• 2021

Purpose: The Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer, every 5 years, since 1995. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2019. Materials and Methods: This survey was conducted from March to December 2020 using a standardized case report form, which was sent to every member of the KGCA via e-mail. We collected data on 54 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. We compared the results of the 2019 survey with previous surveys. Results: Data of 14,076 cases were collected from 68 institutions. The mean patient age was 62.9 years and the proportion of patients who were aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 28.8% in 2019. The proportion of upper-third tumors steadily increased from 11.2% in 1995 to 20.9% in 2019 and that of early gastric cancer increased from 57.7% in 2009 to 63.6% in 2019. Regarding operative procedures, a total laparoscopic approach was used in more than half of the cases (55.1%) in 2019. The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (45.0%) after distal gastrectomy and double tract reconstruction (81.2%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2019. The postoperative mortality rate was 1.0%, and the overall postoperative complication rate was 14.5%. Conclusions: The results of the 2019 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for gastric cancer research in the future.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.99-106
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• 2016

Minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer has increased in popularity during the last two decades mainly in the Asia for patients with early-stage cancer. Nevertheless, the development of laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancers in the Western world has been slow because of the advanced stage at diagnosis for which LG is not yet considered an acceptable alternative to standard open surgery. RAG has been reported as a safe alternative to conventional surgery for treating of early gastric carcinoma. We assess the current status of robotic surgery in the treatment of gastric cancer focusing on the technical details, postoperative outcome, oncological considerations and future perspectives. In gastrectomy the biggest advantage of the robotic approach is the ease and reproducibility of lymphadenectomy. Reports also show that even the intra corporeal digestive restoration is facilitated by use of the robotic approach, particularly following TG. Additionally, the accuracy of robotic dissection is confirmed by decreased blood loss in comparison to conventional laparoscopy. The learning curve and technical reproducibility also appear to be shorter with robotic surgery and, consequently, robotics can help to standardize and diffuse minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of gastric cancer. While published reports have shown no significant differences in surgical morbidity, mortality, or oncological adequacy between robot-assisted and conventional gastrectomy. There are some advantages in terms of postoperative recovery of patients after robotic surgery. More studies are needed to assess the true indications and oncological effectiveness of robotic use in the treatment of gastric carcinoma.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.323-327
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• 2024

This case report presents 2 patients with gastroesophageal junction cancer who both underwent totally minimally invasive esophagectomy with colon interposition. Patients 1 and 2, who were 43-year-old and 78-year-old men, respectively, had distinct clinical presentations and medical histories. Patient 1 underwent minimally invasive robotic esophagectomy with a laparoscopic total gastrectomy, colonic conduit preparation, and intrathoracic esophago-colono-jejunostomy. Patient 2 underwent completely robotic total gastrectomy, colon conduit preparation, and intrathoracic esophago-colono-jejunostomy. The primary challenge in colon interposition is assessing colon vascularity and ensuring an adequate conduit length, which is critical for successful anastomosis. In both cases, we used indocyanine green fluorescence angiography to evaluate vascularity. Determining the appropriate conduit is challenging; therefore, it is crucial to ensure a slightly longer conduit during reconstruction. Because totally minimally invasive colon interposition can reduce postoperative pain and enhance recovery, this surgical technique is feasible and beneficial.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.79-84
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• 2008

목적: 복강경 기구의 발달과 시술자의 숙련도가 증가함에 따라 점차로 조기위암 이상으로 복강경 위절제술을 확대 적용하려는 노력들이 이루어지고 있다. 본 연구는 복강경 D2 림프절 절제술의 적절성 및 유용성을 평가하고자 하였다. 대상 및 방법: 2007년 2월부터 2007년 8월까지 복강경 D2 림프절 절제술을 시행 받은 22명의 원위부위암 환자들을 대상으로 임상병리학적 특성, 수술 성적 및 수술 후 경과 등에 대하여 같은 시기에 시행된 38명의 개복 D2 림프절 절제술 환자와 비교하였다. 결과: 복강경 D2 림프절 절제술은 평균 수술시간이 오래 소요되었으나($160{\pm}25min$. vs. $135{\pm}21min$., P<0.001), 평균 근위부 절제연 거리($6.1{\pm}2.8cm$ vs. $5.8{\pm}2.5$, P=ns), 평균 림프절 절재 개수($25{\pm}11$ vs. $26{\pm}9$, P=ns)에서 개복 수술과 유의한 차이가 없었다. 수술 후 경과는 복강경 수술군에서 식이개시, 재원일수 등이 유의하게 빨랐다. 복강경 D2 림프절 절제술을 시행 받은 환자 중 개복으로의 전환은 없었으며, 양군에서 유사한 수술 후 합병증 발생빈도를 보여주었다. 결론: 복강경 D2 림프절 절제술은 개복수술과 유사한 수술성적을 가지며, 양호한 수술 후 경과를 보인다. 향후 전향적 연구를 통해 복강경 D2 림프절 절제술의 유용성에 대한 연구가 필요하리라 생각된다.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.220-227
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• 2017

Purpose: Precise localization of tumors and creation of sufficient proximal resection margins are complicated processes during total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG) for clinical T1/T2 gastric cancers. Various solutions to this problem have also yielded many disadvantages. In this study, we reviewed a preoperative endoscopic clipping method based on the results of negative biopsy and selective intraoperative radiography. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of 345 consecutive patients who underwent TLDG and preoperative endoscopic clipping for tumor localization was conducted. During preoperative endoscopy, the endoscopists performed negative biopsies just 1-2 cm selectively above the tumor's upper limit. After confirming the biopsy results, endoscopic metal clips were applied just proximal to the negative biopsy site the day before surgery. Selective intraoperative tumor localization using portable abdominal radiography was performed only when we could not ensure a precise resection line. Results: Negative biopsy was performed in 244 patients. Larger tumor size (P=0.008) and more distally located tumors (P=0.052) were observed more frequently in the negative biopsy group than in the non-negative biopsy group. The non-negative biopsy group had significantly higher frequencies of differentiated tumor types than the negative biopsy group (P=0.003). Of the 244 patients who underwent negative biopsies, 6 had cancer cells in their biopsy specimens. We performed intraoperative radiography in 12 patients whose tumors had difficult-to-determine proximal margins. No tumors were found in the proximal resection margins of any patients. Conclusions: Our tumor localization method is a promising and accurate method for securing a sufficient resection margin during TLDG.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.72-80
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• 2020

Purpose: Proximal gastrectomy (PG) is a function-preserving surgery in cases of proximally located early-stage gastric cancer. Because gastroesophageal reflux is a major pitfall of this operation, we devised a modified esophagogastrostomy (EG) anastomosis to fix the distal part of the posterior esophageal wall to the proximal part of the anterior stomach wall to produce an anti-reflux mechanism; we named this the SPADE operation. This study aimed to show demonstrate the clinical outcomes of the SPADE operation and compare them to those of previous PG cases. Materials and Methods: Case details of 56 patients who underwent PG between January 2012 and March 2018 were retrospectively reviewed: 30 underwent conventional esophagogastrostomy (CEG) anastomosis using a circular stapler, while 26 underwent the SPADE operation. Early postoperative clinical outcome-related reflux symptoms, endoscopic findings, and postoperative complications were compared in this case-control study. Results: Follow-up endoscopy showed more frequent reflux esophagitis cases in the CEG group than in the SPADE group (30% vs. 15.3%, P=0.19). Similarly, bile reflux (26.7% vs. 7.7%, P=0.08) and residual food (P=0.01) cases occurred more frequently in the CEG group than in the SPADE group. In the CEG group, 13 patients (43.3%) had mild reflux symptoms, while 3 patients (10%) had severe reflux symptoms. In the SPADE group, 3 patients (11.5%) had mild reflux symptoms, while 1 had severe reflux symptoms (absolute difference, 31.8%; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-29.64; P=0.01). Conclusions: A novel modified EG, the SPADE operation, has the potential to decrease gastroesophageal reflux following a PG.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.290-300
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• 2019

Purpose: The optimal method for intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy remains unclear because a purse-string suture for fixing the anvil into the esophagus is difficult to perform with a laparoscopic approach. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate our novel technique to fix the anvil into the esophagus. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 202 patients who were treated at our institution with an intracorporeal circular esophagojejunostomy in a laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy with a Roux-en-Y reconstruction (166 cases) or a laparoscopy-assisted proximal gastrectomy with jejunal interposition (36 cases). After incising 3/4 of the esophageal wall, a hand-sewn purse-string suture was placed on the esophagus. Next, the anvil head of a circular stapler was introduced into the esophagus. Finally, the circular esophagojejunostomy was performed laparoscopically. The clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes were evaluated and compared with those of other methods. Results: The average operation time was 200.3 minutes. The average hand-sewn purse-string suturing time was 6.4 minutes. The overall incidence of postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification grade ${\geq}II$) was 26%. The number of patients with an anastomotic leakage and stenosis at the esophagojejunostomy site were 4 (2.0%) and 12 (6.0%), respectively. All patients with stenosis were successfully treated by endoscopic balloon dilatation. There was no mortality. Regarding the materials and devices for anvil fixation, only 1 absorbable thread was needed. Conclusions: Our procedure for hand-sewn purse-string suturing with the double ligation method is simple and safe.