Affiliation:
1. Department of Gastroenterological Surgery Osaka International Cancer Institute 3‐1‐69 Otemae, Chuo‐ku Osaka 5418567 Osaka Japan
2. Department of Surgery NHO Osaka National Hospital 2‐1‐14 Hoenzaka, Chuo‐ku Osaka 5400006 Osaka Japan
Abstract
AbstractAimTo compare minimally invasive and open surgery for older patients with gastric cancer.MethodsThis study included 464 consecutive patients with gastric cancer aged ≥75 years who underwent open or laparoscopic gastrectomy at our institution from January 2004 to December 2018. We performed propensity score‐matching and compared short‐ and long‐term outcomes between the two groups.ResultsAfter matching, 332 patients were included in the study (166 in each group). The laparoscopy group had a longer operative time, lesser blood loss, and shorter hospital stays than the open surgery group (all p < 0.020). The laparoscopy group had a lower complication rate than the open surgery group (p = 0.002). No significant differences were noted in the 3‐y overall, recurrence‐free, and disease‐free survival between the groups (all p > 0.200).ConclusionMinimally invasive surgery for older patients with gastric cancer may be more beneficial than open gastrectomy in terms of blood loss and hospital stay.