Laparoscopic Sentinel Node Navigation Surgery for Gastric Cancer

ABSTRACT

Short-term surgical results of gastric cancer improve with use of a laparoscopic approach compared to those after conventional laparotomy, particularly in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). However, due to gastric resection and lymph node dissection, poor long-term quality of life (QOL) after gastric cancer surgery is equivalent between the approaches. Thus, gastric resection and lymph node dissection should be minimized to avoid injury to innervating nerves and the sphincter, to maintain gastric function, preserve gastric volume, and improve long-term QOL. Such a procedure should not impair the oncological outcome by removing the primary tumor and metastasis to lymph nodes. After analysis of the many single center feasibility studies, sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is useful for this purpose but sensitivity varies and is unsatisfactory. A large multicenter Japanese feasibility study showed promising results after clinical application of SNB in patients with EGC. Based on those results, a multicenter prospective randomized phase III trial of laparoscopic SNB conducted by the Korean surgical study group, the SENORITA (SEntinel Node ORIented Tailored Approach), is now ongoing. Prior to this phase III trial, a quality control study of participating institutions was completed in an effort to standardize and overcome the SNB learning curve. Laparoscopic SNB with gastric volume and function-preserving surgery to improve the long-term QOL without impairing the oncological outcome may be a surgical option after this trial in the subgroup of patients with EGC.