Function-Preserving Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: For patients with early gastric cancer (EGC), a good prognosis is achieved by conventional standard gastrectomy with radical lymphadenectomy. However, postgastrectomy syndrome is often inevitable and results in decreased quality of life (QOL). To improve patients’ QOL, proximal gastrectomy instead of total gastrectomy and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy instead of distal gastrectomy have been widely accepted as function-preserving gastrectomies. Recently, personalized, minimized gastrectomy with sentinel node navigation surgery has been developed and is expected to be an ideal treatment option for patients with EGC. Herein, we review the indications, surgical techniques, and postoperative outcomes of function-preserving gastrectomy. ABSTRACT: Recently, minimally invasive (endoscopic or laparoscopic) treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC) has been widely accepted. However, a standard gastrectomy with radical lymphadenectomy is generally performed in patients with EGC who have no indications for endoscopic resection, and postgastrectomy dysfunction is one of the problems of standard gastrectomy. Function-preserving gastrectomy, such as proximal gastrectomy and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy, can be considered when attempting to preserve the patient’s quality of life (QOL) postoperatively. In addition, sentinel node navigation surgery for EGC has been applied in clinical practice in several prospective studies on function-preserving personalized minimized gastrectomy. In the near future, the sentinel lymph node concept is expected to form the basis for establishing an ideal, personalized, minimally invasive function-preserving treatment for patients with EGC, which will improve their postoperative QOL without compromising their long-term survival. In this review article, we summarize the current status, surgical techniques, and postoperative outcomes of function-preserving gastrectomy for EGC.