[A case of juvenile gastric polyposis with gastric cancer successfully treated by laparoscopic total gastrectomy -review of 36 reported cases in Japan].

A 43-year-old woman was suffering from epigastric pain. Her gastroscopy revealed polyposis of the stomach, and her biopsy revealed a hyperplastic polyp. During the 18-month follow-up, the polyps proliferated, and the patient was referred to our institute for further investigation and treatment. A juvenile gastric polyposis diagnosis was made. She refused to have the surgery despite the fact that it was necessary due to the anemia and hypoalbuminemia she was experiencing. Endoscopic biopsy results revealed gastric cancer at a follow-up visit 2 years and 3 months later; thus, a laparoscopic total gastrectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed adenocarcinomas that were scattered and well-differentiated, with hyperplastic polyps in the background. No lymph node metastasis was found. Despite the fact that juvenile gastric polyposis is a pathologically benign disease, there have been numerous case reports of surgery being performed due to anemia, hypoalbuminemia, or gastric cancer associated with the disease. When gastric cancers are discovered in cases of juvenile gastric polyposis, they are usually in an early stage, making them a good candidate for laparoscopic total gastrectomy.

Is the ISGPS definition of pancreatic fistula applicable after gastrectomy?

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic fistula is one of the most common and potentially fatal surgical complications after radical gastrectomy. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of extrapolating the definition of pancreatic fistula by the International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery to include situations surrounding gastric cancer surgery. METHODS: The clinicopathological data of 443 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy with suprapancreatic lymph node dissection (D1+, D2, or D2+ dissection) without pancreatic resection were reviewed. The relationship between postoperative pancreas-related complications (PPRC) and laboratory data, including drain fluid amylase levels on postoperative day 1 (dAmy1) and day 3 (dAmy3), were investigated. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients (5.4%) developed PPRC of ≥ grade II according to Clavien-Dindo classification. Among them, 15 patients had dAmy3 levels ≥ 375 IU/L, while all 24 patients had dAmy1 levels ≥ 375 IU/L. None of the patients with dAmy1 levels < 375 IU/L developed PPRC. The area under the curve of dAmy1 and dAmy3, calculated by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves, were 0.896 and 0.791, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that both dAmy1 and dAmy3 were significant predictors of PPRC; however, dAmy1 (p < 0.001) was more strongly correlated with PPRC than dAmy3 (p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: DAmy1 is more sensitive than dAmy3 as an indicator of pancreatic fistula after gastric cancer surgery.

A case of pulmonary leiomyosarcoma achieving long-term survival after multiple metastasectomies.

A 58-year-old man who underwent lower lobectomy of the right lung for primary pulmonary leiomyosarcoma (PPL) 4 years ago presented with epigastric pain and was diagnosed with small bowel intussusception caused by an intestinal mass. Partial resection of the small intestine was performed, and pathological examination revealed metastatic leiomyosarcoma. Masses in the left adrenal gland, subcutaneous tissue of the left upper arm, right pleura, jejunum, right trapezius muscle, and right adrenal gland were subsequently detected in the following 4 years. Resection was performed for each tumor, which was histologically confirmed as metastatic leiomyosarcoma. However, 1 month after the last surgery, multiple systemic metastases were found, thus, he is currently undergoing chemotherapy. The patient has been alive for 8 years and 4 months after the first operation for PPL. PPL is an extremely rare disease with no established treatment strategy for recurrences. Aggressive metastasectomy may be beneficial in selected cases.

The Amount and Concentration of Drain Amylase Together Predict Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula after Gastric Cancer Surgery More Accurately than the Concentration Alone.

INTRODUCTION: The drain amylase concentration (dAmy-C) is a useful marker for predicting pancreatic fistula after gastric cancer surgery. However, dAmy-C might be reduced in cases of high drainage volume. Therefore, we hypothesized that we could accurately assess the amount of amylase leaked from the pancreas by multiplying dAmy-C by the daily drainage volume. In this study, we investigated the clinical utility of the amount of drain amylase (A-dAmy: concentration × volume) for predicting pancreatic fistula. We investigated the clinical utility of the combination of dAmy-C and A-dAmy for predicting pancreatic fistula. METHODS: We investigated patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer at Yodogawa Christian Hospital between 2012 and 2020. The optimal cutoff levels of dAmy-C and A-dAmy on postoperative day 1 for predicting Clavien-Dindo (CD) grade II or higher pancreatic fistula was calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. We calculate the positive predictive value and negative predictive value for predicting pancreatic fistula using these cutoff levels. RESULTS: A total of 448 patients were eligible for analysis. Twenty-two patients experienced CD grade II or higher pancreatic fistula. ROC curves identified 1,615 IU/L as the optimal cutoff level of dAmy-C, predicting pancreatic fistula. When the simple cutoff level of dAmy-C was 1,600 IU/L, the positive predictive value for was 22.8%, and the negative predictive value was 99.7%. ROC curves identified 177.52 IU as the optimal cutoff level of A-dAmy predicting pancreatic fistula. When the simple cutoff level of A-dAmy was 177 IU, the positive predictive value was 21.2%, and the negative predictive value was 99.7%. Using these two cutoff levels together, the positive predictive value was 34.4%, and the negative predictive value was 99.7%. CONCLUSION: A-dAmy could predict and exclude pancreatic fistula after gastrectomy as with dAmy-C. The combination of dAmy-C and A-dAmy predict pancreatic fistula more accurately than dAmy-C alone.

Optimal Timing to Assess Drain Amylase Concentration after Elective Gastrectomy.

PURPOSE: While the amylase concentration of the drainage fluid (dAmy) has been reported to be a predictor of postoperative pancreas-related complications (PPRC), the optimal timing for its measurement has not been fully investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinicopathological data of 387 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer were reviewed. Laboratory data, including dAmy on postoperative days 1 (dAmy1) and 3 (dAmy3), and serum C-reactive protein (sCRP) concentrations on postoperative days 1 (sCRP1) and 3 (sCRP3) were compared between patients with PPRC and without PPRC. RESULTS: Nineteen of the 387 patients (4.9%) developed PPRC. The optimal cutoff values of dAmy1, dAmy3, sCRP1, and sCRP3 were 1514 IU/L, 761 IU/L, 8.32 mg/dL, and 15.15 mg/dL, respectively. The area under the curve of dAmy1 was greater than that of dAmy3 (0.915 vs. 0.826), and that of sCRP3 was greater than that of sCRP1 (0.820 vs. 0.659). In the multivariate analysis, dAmy1 (P<0.001) and sCRP3 (P=0.004) were significant predictors of PPRC, while dAmy3 (P=0.069) and sCRP1 (P=0.831) were not. Thirteen (41.9%) of 31 patients with both dAmy1 ≥1,545 IU/L and sCRP3 ≥15.15 mg/dL had PPRC ≥Clavien-Dindo II. In contrast, among 260 patients with both dAmy1 <1,545 IU/L and sCRP3 <15.15 mg/dL, none developed PPRC. CONCLUSIONS: dAmy1 was more useful than dAmy3 in predicting PPRC. The combination of dAmy1 and sCRP3 may be a useful criterion for the removal of drains on postoperative day 3.

The Combined Use of Drainage Amylase Concentration and Serum C-reactive Protein as Predictors of Pancreas-Related Complications after Elective Gastrectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative pancreas-related complications (PPRC) can cause critical conditions, including sepsis and intra-abdominal bleeding. Thus, it is important to identify patients who are at risk of clinically significant PPRC as early as possible in the postoperative period. Some authors have reported the use of amylase concentration of the drainage fluid (dAmy) to predict PPRC. However, the positive predictive value of dAmy alone is not sufficient. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the predictive value of combined use of dAmy and serum C-reactive protein (sCRP) for PPRC. METHODS: The clinicopathological data of 327 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer were reviewed. There were 18 patients who developed PPRC. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the risk factors of PPRC. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify the cut-off values of dAmy and sCRP on postoperative day 3 (dAmy3 and sCRP3) to predict the risk of PPRC. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, splenectomy alone correlated with PPRC. The cut-off values of dAmy3 and sCRP3 were 761 IU/L and 15.15 mg/dL, respectively. Among the 17 patients with both dAmy3 and sCRP3 above the thresholds, 10 (58.8%) had PPRC with Clavien-Dindo classification (CD) ≥II and 7 (41.2%) had PPRC with CD ≥III. In contrast, among the 236 patients with both parameters below the thresholds, 233 (98.7%) did not develop PPRC, and only 1 (0.4%) had PPRC with CD ≥III. CONCLUSIONS: Splenectomy correlates with PPRC, which is consistent with results from large clinical trials. A combined use of dAmy3 and sCRP3 can be useful in predicting the risks of PPRC.

Validity of Laparoscopic Gastrectomy in the Elderly.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the validity of laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery in elderly patients. METHODS: A total of 202 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer between January 2007 and December 2016 were divided into an elderly group (age ≥75 years, n = 36) and a control group (age < 75 years, n = 166). The patients' clinicopathological data were reviewed. RESULTS: The overall morbidity rate was relatively higher in the elderly group (16.7 vs. 11.4%, p = 0.389), whereas the incidence of serious complications ≥grade III according to the Clavien-Dindo classification did not increase significantly in the elderly group (8.3 vs. 7.8%, p = 0.920). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age ≥75 years was not a significant predictive factor of postoperative morbidity (p = 0.568). There was no significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rate of patients with pathological stage I gastric cancer between the groups (97.1 vs. 96.1%, p = 0.704; hazard ratio, 0.669; 95% confidence interval, 0.036-3.692). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic gastrectomy has an acceptable morbidity rate in elderly patients, and the long-term outcome of patients with stage I gastric cancer was similar to that of the control group.

Laparoscopic ileocecal resection can be applied for appendiceal cancer with an ileal fistula: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Primary appendiceal cancer with fistula formation is extremely rare. We report a case of a patient with appendiceal cancer invading the ileum who underwent successful laparoscopic ileocecal resection. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 76-year-old man who presented with fever and abdominal pain was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and received antibiotics at a local hospital. After a few days, he was referred to our hospital because of an abnormality found in the colonoscopy, which was an oozing ulcer in the terminal ileum. Laparoscopic ileocecal resection was performed with a preoperative diagnosis of ileal cancer. The tumor adhered to the right internal inguinal ring. We dissected the right spermatic cord involved in the tumor. The resected specimen revealed a fistula between the appendiceal orifice and ileac ulcer. Histopathological examination revealed a well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. We made the diagnosis of appendiceal cancer with an ileal fistula because the ileal ulcer was derived from the appendiceal site. DISCUSSION: Most cases of appendiceal cancer with a fistula undergo laparotomy, but in selected cases, laparoscopic resection should be considered a feasible, safe, and curative procedure. Our patient underwent laparoscopic ileocecal resection, whereby the tumor and other organs with invasion were resected successfully with a negative surgical margin. CONCLUSION: This is the first case report of appendiceal cancer with an ileal fistula successfully treated with laparoscopic resection. Laparoscopic ileocecal resection can be applied for appendiceal cancers with a fistula by experienced surgeons with careful consideration.

Postoperative morbidity in elderly patients after gastric cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients have a high risk of adverse outcomes after surgery. Therefore, it is essential to determine the predictive factors for postoperative morbidity in elderly patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery. METHODS: A total of 544 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer at Yodogawa Christian Hospital between January 2007 and December 2015 were divided into the elderly group (age ≥70 years, n=282) and a control group (age <70 years, n=262). Clinicopathological data from all patients were reviewed. RESULTS: The overall morbidity rates were 24.8% in the elderly group and 13.4% in the control group, indicating a significant difference (P<0.001). The incidence rates of anastomotic leakage (4.6% vs. 1.5%, P=0.039) and cardiovascular complications (2.5% vs. 0%, P=0.01) were significantly higher in the elderly group. A multivariate analysis revealed that a blood loss of ≥320 mL was an independent predictive factor of overall morbidity (P=0.004). A blood loss of ≥219 mL (P=0.025) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of 3/4 (P=0.006) were associated with anastomotic leakage and postoperative cardiovascular complications, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The overall morbidity rate was significantly higher among elderly patients and an intraoperative blood loss of ≥320 mL was a significant predictive factor. In particular, anastomotic leakage and cardiovascular complications were seen with greater frequency among those with a higher blood loss volume and ASA physical status, respectively.

[Early Surgery for Acute Cholecystitis Complicated with Gallbladder Cancer].

The present study involved 6 patients who had urgent surgery for acute cholecystitis(AC)complicated with gallbladder cancer(GBC)in our hospital from January 2014 to December 2016. We analyzed the clinical outcome of early surgery for AC complicated with GBC. According to Tokyo Guidelines 2013, the AC severity was classified as Mild 1 case, Moderate 5 cases. Only one patient was diagnosed with GBC before the operation for AC. The others were during or after the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Histopathologically, all patients had Stage II disease or greater. Two patients had adjunctive radical operation with the wedge resection of the gallbladder bed, lymphadenectomy and bile duct resection, and they survived without recurrence for 28 months and 12 months, respectively. Of the 3 patients without any additional surgery, 2 patients died in several months after the operation. In consideration of the concurrence of GBC, early surgery for AC must be decided carefully.

Impact of Gastric Cancer Surgery in Elderly Patients.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the validity of gastric cancer surgery in elderly patients. METHODS: A total of 544 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer were divided into an elderly group (age ≥75 years, n = 171) and a control group (age <75 years, n = 373). The clinicopathological data of the patients were reviewed. RESULTS: The overall morbidity rate (26.3 vs. 16.1%, p = 0.005) and the incidence rate of anastomotic leakage (6.4 vs. 1.6%, p = 0.003) were significantly higher in the elderly group. The proportion of patients who had severe complications (≥grade IIIa) was relatively higher in the elderly group (10.5 vs. 5.7%); however, the difference was not significant (p = 0.074). A stage-matched survival analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups (stage I: p = 0.978; stage II: p = 0.964; stage III: p = 0.199). For the pathological stages II and III, the overall survival of the patients in the elderly group who received adjuvant chemotherapy for >3 months was significantly better than that of the patients who received it for ≤3 months or did not receive it (p = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: An aggressive treatment strategy should be adopted in selected elderly patients with gastric cancer.

A pregnant woman with a surgical site infection after mesh repair of an abdominal wall incisional hernia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Surgical meshes are widely used in incisional hernia repair. However, there are no reports of pregnancies complicated by infection of surgical meshes used for hernia repair. This is the first case report of a pregnant woman who experienced surgical site infection associated with surgical mesh used for repair of an abdominal wall incisional hernia. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 41-year-old pregnant Japanese woman with surgical site infection after mesh repair of an abdominal wall incisional hernia. She was diagnosed with an abdominal wall incisional hernia at 3 months after her third cesarean section, and she underwent an operation of hernia repair with use of monofilament polypropylene mesh 7 months after the third cesarean section. However, a surgical site infection associated with surgical mesh occurred. During antibiotic treatment, she was found to be pregnant. She was referred to our hospital at 13 weeks and 2 days of gestation. The surgeons removed the infected mesh at 16 weeks and 3 days of gestation. Neither the hernia nor infection at the surgical site recurred throughout pregnancy. We planned a cesarean section using a transverse uterine fundal incision method with an upper abdominal incision. The patient delivered a 2478-g healthy female infant. CONCLUSIONS: The present report shows that removal of mesh can safely control surgical site infection during pregnancy.

Prone position in thoracoscopic esophagectomy improves postoperative oxygenation and reduces pulmonary complications.

BACKGROUND: While thoracoscopic esophagectomy is a widely performed surgical procedure, only few studies regarding the influence of body position on changes in circulation and breathing, after the surgery, have been reported. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of body position, during surgery, on the postoperative breathing functions of the chest. METHODS: A total of 266 patients who underwent right-sided transthoracic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer from 2004 to 2012 were included in this study. Fifty-four of them underwent open thoracotomies in the left lateral decubitus position (Group O), 108 underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the left lateral decubitus position (Group L) and 104 patients were treated by thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the prone position (Group P). Two patients in Group P, who presented with intra-operative bleeding and underwent thoracotomy, were subsequently excluded from the pulmonary function analysis. RESULTS: Two patients in Group P had to be changed from the prone position to the lateral decubitus position and underwent thoracotomy in order to control intra-operative bleeding. Despite the significantly longer chest operation period in Group P, total blood loss was significantly lower in this group when compared to Groups O and L. Furthermore, patients in Group P presented with significantly lower water balance during the perioperative period and markedly higher SpO2/FiO2 ratio after the surgery. The incidence of respiratory complications was significantly higher in Group O when compared to the other two groups; however, no significant differences were observed between the Groups L and P. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrate that thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the prone position improves postoperative oxygenation and is therefore a potentially superior surgical approach.

Is the Glasgow Prognostic Score Applicable to Both Early- and Advanced-Stage Gastric Cancers?

BACKGROUND: The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) has been reported as a sensitive prognostic marker for gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether the GPS is equally applicable to patients with early-stage and advanced-stage gastric cancers. METHODS: Patients (n = 544) who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2007 and 2015 were retrospectively studied. GPSs of 2, 1, and 0 were allocated to patients with both an elevated C-reactive protein level (> 1.0 mg/dL) and hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 mg/dL), patients with only one of these abnormalities, and patients with neither abnormality, respectively. The prognostic factors relevant to patients with early-stage (pStage I, n = 304) and advanced-stage (pStage II, III, and IV, n = 240) gastric cancer were analyzed through univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: In the early-stage group, only the serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 level (P = 0.037) was a significant prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis; the GPS was not significant (P = 0.095). In the advanced-stage group, an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of 3 or 4 (P = 0.032), elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P = 0.043) and CA19-9 (P = 0.045) levels, a GPS 1 - 2 (P = 0.017), and type 4 tumor (P = 0.020) correlated significantly with worse overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: GPS is a simple and useful prognostic score for patients with advanced-stage, but is not applicable to early-stage patients.

Effectiveness of Laparoscopic Surgery for Obstructive Colorectal Cancer After Tube Decompression.

BACKGROUND: It is debatable whether laparoscopic surgery is suitable for obstructive colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and oncological effectiveness of laparoscopic surgery after tube decompression for obstructive colorectal cancer in 54 patients (18 laparoscopic resections, 36 open resections). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups with respect to mean size, location, depth, and stage of tumor, median operating times, or median number of lymph nodes retrieved. Abdominal wound infection rate was significantly lower in the laparoscopic than in the open group (0%:22%, P=0.02), as were mean times to first gas passage after surgery (2.3:3.4 d, P=0.002) and mean postoperative hospital stays (16:24.3 d, P=0.03). The 3-year disease-free survival rate of curative resection cases in the laparoscopic (85%) and open (72%) groups were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic surgery after tube decompression achieves faster recovery and equal oncological outcome as open surgery and should be a treatment of choice for obstructive colorectal cancer.

[The Local Control Effect of Surgical Treatment after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Rectal Adenocarcinoma with Inguinal Lymph Node Metastasis].

No consensus has been reached with regard to the optimal treatment strategy and the prognosis of patients with advanced rectal cancer and inguinal lymph node metastasis. We, therefore, retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 41 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(NACRT). Six patients, with clinical inguinal lymph node metastasis determined by pretreatment imaging, underwent inguinal lymph node dissections after NACRT. Five patients survived without a relapse. Only 1 patient, who had been diagnosed with pathological inguinal lymph node metastasis, had a relapse in the right iliac lymph node 6 years after surgery. Surgical treatment after NACRT for rectal adenocarcinoma with inguinal lymph node metastasis contributes to an improvement in outcomes. NACRT plus inguinal lymph node dissection is an effective strategy for patients with inguinal lymph node metastasis from rectal adenocarcinoma.

Prognostic significance of pathological response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is widely used in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Pathological response to CRT has been shown to be a potential prognostic predictor in rectal cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of pathological response to preoperative CRT in LARC patients. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with LARC were retrospectively analyzed to determine the relationships of pathological response and clinicopathological characteristics to survival outcomes. Patients received CRT with tegafur/uracil and leucovorin. Radiotherapy was administered in fractions of 1.8 Gy/day and 5 days per week. The total dose of radiation delivered was 45 Gy. RESULTS: All patients underwent total mesorectal excision with lymph node dissections after CRT, and resected specimens were examined pathologically. Four patients showed pathological complete response, 14 showed good response, and 14 showed poor response. Pathological complete or good response was associated with longer survival (P = 0.041). Clinicopathological factors excluding gender were not correlated with outcome. No factor was associated with recurrence. CONCLUSION: Pathological response to preoperative CRT may be a useful prognostic predictor in patients with LARC.

Treating patients with advanced rectal cancer and lateral pelvic lymph nodes with preoperative chemoradiotherapy based on pretreatment imaging.

Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and lateral pelvic lymph node (LPLN) dissection (LPLD) based on pretreatment imaging are performed to improve oncological outcomes at our institution. However, the advantage of LPLD following preoperative CRT in advanced rectal cancer remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to assess the validity of this approach. Thirty-two patients with advanced rectal cancer were included in the study. All patients were treated with preoperative CRT and curative operation. Of these, 16 patients who were treated between August 2005 and June 2008 underwent LPLD on both sides (LPLD group). Sixteen patients who were treated between July 2008 and January 2013 underwent LPLD only on the side with suspected LPLN metastasis determined by pretreatment imaging; in cases without LPLN metastasis, only total mesorectal excision was performed (limited-LPLD group). The overall survival and relapse-free survival between the LPLD and the limited-LPLD groups were compared. Preoperative CRT was able to lower clinical lymph node status in 50% of the cases. In addition, pathological lymph node status did not exceed the pretreatment clinical lymph node status stage in the LPLD group. There were no differences in the overall survival and relapse-free survival between the two groups (P=0.729 and P=0.874, respectively). We conclude that multi-imaging studies have a very low risk of overlooking pathologically positive LPLN metastases. Therefore, limited LPLD is a feasible strategy for patients with advanced rectal cancer and suspicious LPLN metastases based on pretreatment imaging.

Carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum led to no severe morbidities for the elderly during laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Our purpose was to evaluate the perioperative safety of laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) in elderly patients with clinical stage I gastric cancer. METHODS: From 527 consecutive patients who underwent distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer from 2000 to 2011, 38 elderly patients (aged 75 years or older) with clinical stage I disease who underwent LADG were compared with 28 elderly patients who underwent open distal gastrectomy (ODG) and with 41 nonelderly patients (younger than aged 65 years) who underwent LADG. Intraoperative cardiopulmonary changes following pneumoperitoneum and surgical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: A significant elevation in mean blood pressure (MAP) (by 44 %) and slight increase in heart rate (HR) (by 13 %) were observed 5 min after the beginning of pneumoperitoneum in the elderly LADG group, although they tended to remain stable since 30 min. The elevation of end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) in the elderly LADG group remained at 8 % and did not differ from that in the nonelderly LADG group who were 20.5 years (median) younger, whereas percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2) did not worsen. Compared with the elderly ODG group, the elderly LADG group did not increase intraoperative cardiopulmonary impairment or complication, had lower incidence of postoperative medical complication (7.9 vs. 32.1 %, p = 0.012) and shortened postoperative recovery course (25 vs. 15 days, p < 0.001). Pneumoperitoneum did not necessarily impair cardiopulmonary dynamics or prognosis for elderly patients with declining cardiopulmonary function. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiopulmonary impairment caused by pneumoperitoneum was not critical but transitory. LADG led to superior perioperative course for elderly patients with early gastric cancer.