Role of laparoscopy in the management of stomach cancer.

The use of laparoscopy for staging and treatment of gastric cancer has evolved in the past decade along with other advanced laparoscopic procedures. Laparoscopic staging of gastric cancer, especially with the addition of laparoscopic ultrasonography, has been shown more reliable than radiologic modalities and it effectively decreases the incidence of unnecessary laparotomy. Although it is not commonly performed in Western countries, the use of laparoscopic curative resection for gastric cancer is growing, especially in Japan. Laparoscopic resection of early gastric cancer has been shown to be safe and effective in many retrospective series though no prospective randomized studies comparing it to open resection have been performed. Despite being more controversial, laparoscopic curative resection of advanced gastric cancer also has been performed at multiple institutions with encouraging early results. This review will present the current worldwide experience of laparoscopy for gastric cancer.