Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) is a common surgical procedure that has recently been accepted as safe and feasible for the treatment of early gastric cancer. There have been many efforts to expand the indications of LADG to include the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of noncompliance rate as an indicator for D2 lymph node dissection (LND) validation in LADG.

The subjects were 48 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy with D2 LND at Kosin University Gospel Hospital from October to December 2010. Of them, 28 underwent LADG and 20 underwent open distal gastrectomy (ODG). We compared several factors including noncompliance rate to validate D2 LND.

There were no significant differences in clinicopathologic factors except for BMI and tumor depth between the two groups. The average number of retrieved lymph nodes was significantly greater in the ODG group (45.9 ± 2.9) than in the LADG group (35.5 ± 2.0). The noncompliance rate was 43% in the LADG group and 40% in the ODG group with no significant difference.

In terms of no difference of noncompliance rate, LADG with D2 lymph node dissection is a safe, feasible and oncologicallycamparable with open gastrectomy. A large scaled prospective randomized trial should be needed to confirm the benefit of LADG.

Many investigators have recommended adequate resection margin and lymphadenectomy for radical curative resection. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical characteristics of positive resection margin (proximal or distal) of postgastrectomy in advanced gastric cancer.

We studied 17 patients with gastric cancer who were diagnosed positive resection margin by intraoperative frozen biopsy or permanent biopsy report from January 2005 to December 2007, retrospectively. Surgical margin monitored by endoscopy.

Distal gastrectomy was performed in 13 patients and total gastrectomy in 4. Gastrectomy with combined resection including splenectomy was performed in 3, distal pancreatectomy in 2, transverse colon segmental resection in 1, and cholecystectomy in 2. Positive Proximal margin was found in 12, positive distal margin in 3, and both in 2. Palliative chemotherapy was performed in 8 patients. Postoperative follow up endoscopy was established in only 8 patients. Malignant results from endoscopic biopsy in gastroenteric or esophagoenteric anastomotic line were proven in 2 patients during follow up. 9 patients were not performed follow-up endoscopy. Among total 17 patients, 2 patients are alive. Fifteen patients died of aggravation of disease in 13 and postoperative complication in 2.

Although positive surgical margin in far advanced gastric cancer were found, it can consider that does not further resection to obtain microscopic clear anastomotic margin.