Surgical strategy of diagnosis and treatment for acute perforated gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Acute perforated gastric cancer (GC) is defined as an acute perforation of primary GC. It is a rare surgical acute abdominal disease that is mainly caused by advanced GC. The onset of acute perforation of GC is related to the depth of invasion. Preoperative diagnosis is very difficult for GC with acute perforation. The main method to confirm malignant perforation is intraoperative frozen section, which also is the primary clinical standard at present. The primary treatment for GC with acute perforation is surgical intervention, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, we should first consider short-term safety and choose the surgical approach based on the patient's condition, tumor stage and surgeon's experience. The physiological and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) can provide a comprehensive assessment for patient's condition and surgical risk. Secondly, long-term survival should be considered and R0 resection is the most important. When R0 resection can not be achieved in the initial treatment phase, palliative gastrectomy should be avoided. A simple perforation repair can provide an opportunity for two-stage laparoscopic surgery, but the timing of the second stage operation is controversial. We advocate that advanced GC with acute perforation undergoing initial perforation repair can receive subsequent neoadjuvant therapy. A second stage surgery should depend on the response to therapy. Cases of acute perforation of gastric cancer are few. At present, high-level evidence is absent for surgical treatment at home and abroad, and there is no guideline or consensus for diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to explore and establish a comprehensive process of diagnosis and surgical treatment for acute perforated GC, which may be very helpful for first-line surgeons and can also improve the short-term outcomes and long-term survival for GC with acute perforation.