Technical feasibility of laparoscopic total gastrectomy with splenectomy for gastric cancer: clinical short-term and long-term outcomes

摘要

Since its widespread acceptance for the treatment of early gastric cancer, laparoscopic gastrectomy has been gaining popularity as a treatment option for advanced gastric cancer. However, laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) with splenectomy is seldom performed, because of its difficulty of removal of station 10 lymph nodes; splenectomy is technically essential for complete removal of these lymph nodes. The purpose of this study was to describe the details of the LTG procedure and to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of LTG with splenectomy.