[Study on the application of laparoscopy-assisted radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer in the elderly].

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of laparoscopy-assisted D2 radical gastrectomy for elderly patients with gastric cancer. Methods From October 2007 to October 2012, 233 gastric cancer patients over 65 years underwent D2 lymph node dissection. Among them, 109 patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted radical gastrectomy (LAG group) , while 124 patients underwent conventional open gastrectomy (OG group). Results Compared to the OG group, LAG group was associated with less bleeding [ (102.5±34.3) ml vs. (181.7±73.8) ml, P 0.05). Conclusions Efficacy of laparoscopy-assisted D2 radical gastrectomy is similar to open gastrectomy in elderly gastric cancer patients with less invasiveness. Key words: Stomach neoplasms; Elderly; Gastrectomy; Laparoscopy; Prognosis