Quality of life comparison between esophagogastrostomy and double tract reconstruction for proximal gastrectomy assessed by Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale (PGSAS)-45.

Aim: The current study compared the postoperative quality of life (QOL) between the esophagogastrostomy method (PGEG) and double tract method (PGDT) after proximal gastrectomy using the Postgastretomy Syndrome Assessment Scale (PGSAS)-45. Methods: Among the 2364 patients who received the PGSAS-45 questionnaire, 300 PGEG and 172 PGDT cases responded. The main outcomes measures (MOMs) consisted of seven subscales (SS) covering symptoms, meals (amount and quality), ability to work, dissatisfaction with daily life, physical and mental component summary of the 8-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-8), and change in body weight, and were compared between PGEG and PGDT. Results: Overall, PGDT promoted significantly better constipation SS scores (p < 0.05), whereas PGEG tended to promote better body weight (BW) loss% (p < 0.10). A stratified analysis based on the remnant stomach size revealed that among those with a remnant stomach size of 1/2, PGDT had significantly better constipation and dumping SS scores (p < 0.05) and tended to have better working conditions (p < 0.10) compared to PGEG. Even among those with the remnant stomach size of 2/3, PGDT had significantly better diarrhea SS scores, lesser dissatisfaction with symptoms, and better dissatisfaction with daily life SS scores (p < 0.05) and tended to have better constipation SS scores and lesser dissatisfaction with work (p < 0.10) compared to PGEG. Conclusions: After comparing the QOLs of PGEG and PGDT, the stratified analysis according to remnant stomach sizes of 1/2 and 2/3 revealed that PGDT was relatively superior to PGEG for several MOMs.

Safety assessment of robotic gastrectomy and analysis of surgical learning process: a multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The safety of robotic gastrectomy (RG) for gastric cancer in daily clinical settings and the process by which surgeons are introduced and taught RG remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of RG in daily clinical practice and assess the learning process in surgeons introduced to RG. METHODS: Patients who underwent RG for gastric cancer at Kyoto University and 12 affiliated hospitals across Japan from January 2017 to October 2019 were included. Any morbidity with a Clavien-Dindo classification grade of II or higher was evaluated. Moreover, the influence of the surgeon's accumulated RG experience on surgical outcomes and surgeon-reported postoperative fatigue were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 336 patients were included in this study. No conversion to open or laparoscopic surgery and no in-hospital mortality were observed. Overall, 50 (14.9%) patients developed morbidity. During the study period, 14 surgeons were introduced to robotic procedures. The initial five cases had surprisingly lower incidence of morbidity compared to the following cases (odds ratio 0.29), although their operative time was longer (+ 74.2 min) and surgeon's fatigue scores were higher (+ 18.4 out of 100 in visual analog scale). CONCLUSIONS: RG was safely performed in actual clinical settings. Although the initial case series had longer operative time and promoted greater levels of surgeon fatigue compared to subsequent cases, our results suggested that RG had been introduced safely.

Safe implementation of robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer under the requirements for universal health insurance coverage: a retrospective cohort study using a nationwide registry database in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Robotic gastrectomy (RG) has increased since being covered by universal health insurance in 2018. However, to ensure patient safety the operating surgeon and facility must meet specific requirements. We aimed to determine whether RG has been safely implemented under the requirements for universal health insurance in Japan. METHODS: Data of consecutive patients with primary gastric cancer who underwent minimally invasive total or distal gastrectomy-performed by a surgeon certified by the Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery (JSES) endoscopic surgical skill qualification system (ESSQS) between October 2018 and December 2019-were extracted from the gastrointestinal surgery section of the National Clinical Database (NCD). The primary outcome was morbidity over Clavien-Dindo classification grade IIIa. Patient demographics and hospital volume were matched between RG and laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) using propensity score-matched analysis (PSM), and the short-term outcomes of RG and LG were compared. RESULTS: After PSM, 2671 patients who underwent RG and 2671 who underwent LG were retrieved (from a total of 9881), and the standardized difference of all the confounding factors reduced to 0.07 or less. Morbidity rates did not differ between the RG and LG patients (RG, 4.9% vs. LG, 3.9%; p = 0.084). No difference was observed in 30-day mortality (RG, 0.2% vs. LG, 0.1%; p = 0.754). The reoperation rate was greater following RG (RG, 2.2% vs. LG, 1.2%; p = 0.004); however, the duration of postoperative hospitalization was shorter (RG, 10 [8-13] days vs. LG, 11 [9-14] days; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Insurance-covered RG has been safely implemented nationwide.

Relationship between diverting stoma and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with rectal cancer: a nationwide study using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan.

BACKGROUND: Patients at risk of recurrence after curative surgery for rectal cancer usually receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Postoperative recovery after low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer can be improved by placement of a diverting stoma to reduce anastomotic leakage. However, it remains unclear how a diverting stoma affects administration of adjuvant chemotherapy in these patients. METHODS: We identified Japanese patients with rectal cancer who underwent LAR in 2014 and received adjuvant chemotherapy within 12 months of surgery in the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan. Doses of five types of chemotherapy administered (tegafur/uracil, tegafur/gimeracil/oteracil potassium, capecitabine, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) were assessed according to the presence or absence of diverting stoma and the timing of stoma closure. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the cumulative doses of chemotherapy administered in the 12 months after LAR between patients with and without diverting stoma, but more doses were administered in the early postoperative period (0-2 months after LAR) in patients without diverting stoma. Also, more doses of chemotherapy, regardless of type, were administered in the late closure group (7-12 months after LAR) than in the early closure (≤ 6 months) and no closure groups. CONCLUSION: Presence of a diverting stoma did not influence the dose of adjuvant chemotherapy administered within 12 months after LAR but could have delayed the start of adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with late closure of a diverting stoma received more doses of adjuvant chemotherapy administered over 12 months.

Robotic versus laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer: an overview of systematic reviews with quality assessment of current evidence.

Many systematic reviews have been published to evaluate the clinical benefits of robotic surgery for gastric cancer. However, these reviews have investigated various outcomes and differ considerably in quality. In this overview, we summarize the findings and quality of these reviews. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses that compared robotic surgery with laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer. We summarized the results of the meta-analyses and evaluated the quality of the reviews using the AMSTAR-2 tool. The literature search identified 14 eligible reviews. The reviews showed that estimated blood loss was significantly less and time to resumption of oral intake was significantly shorter in patients who underwent robotic surgery than in those who underwent laparoscopic surgery. However, no significant differences in other outcomes were found between the two types of surgery. The quality of the included reviews was judged to be critically low. In conclusion, the available evidence, albeit of critically low quality, suggests that robotic surgery decreases estimated blood loss and shortens the time to resumption of oral intake in patients with gastric cancer. There is currently no high-quality evidence that robotic surgery has clinical benefits for gastric cancer patients.

Assessment of body composition and impact of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in patients with gastric cancer.

Malnutrition is a critical problem in patients with gastric cancer (GC); however, no universally accepted marker that is convenient for clinical use has been defined. Recently, body composition has attracted considerable attention as a means to assess nutrition status in patients with cancer. The clinical role of skeletal muscle mass has also been increasingly recognized. In patients with GC, sarcopenia, which is the loss of skeletal muscle mass, was found to be significantly associated with increased post-surgical complications including hospital stay, healthcare costs, and poor survival. In addition, sarcopenic obesity, which combines the health risks of obesity and sarcopenia, is recognized as a strong risk factor for poor short- and long-term outcomes following gastrectomy. The mechanism linking sarcopenia to worse postoperative outcomes remains unclear; however, skeletal muscle has been found to act as an endocrine organ that produces substances affecting the immune system. In addition, sarcopenia was reported to be associated with toxicity and termination of chemotherapy. Patients with sarcopenia may be unable to react appropriately to the stress of gastrectomy and perioperative chemotherapy. To improve the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with GC and sarcopenia, adequate energy and protein intake are necessary during resistance training. In the present study, we performed a literature review and presented a method to evaluate body composition, the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and GC, and perioperative nutrition and exercise therapy for patients with sarcopenia.