Meta-analysis comparing laparoscopic versus open resection for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors larger than 5 cm

BACKGROUND: Data on the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic versus open resection for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) larger than 5 cm are limited. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to compared laparoscopic and open resection for gastric GISTs larger than 5 cm. METHODS: We perform a literature search on PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase. Review Manage version 5.1 (RevMan 5.1) was used for data analysis. The GRADE profiler software (version 3.6) was used to estimate the level of evidence. RESULTS: A total of 6 observational studies and one unpublished retrospective cohort study met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis: 203 patients in LAP and 214 patients in OPEN group. The pooled result revealed that laparoscopic resection was associated with a same operative time (WMD = −0.87 min; 95% CI: -47.50 to 47.75; P = 0.97), intraoperative blood loss (WMD = −34.38 ml; 95% CI: -79.60 to 10.84; P = 0.14), overall complications (RR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.38 to 1.12; P = 0.12), better 5-year disease-free survival (HR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.91; P = 0.03) and overall survival (HR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.40; P = 0.002) compared with open resection. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic resection is a technically and oncologically safe and feasible approach for large-sized gastric GISTs (≥ 5 cm) compared to open resection. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-017-3741-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.