Distal gastrectomy: the evidence—a narrative overview

Abstract

The first laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) was performed by Kitano in 1991. It was a revolution in the surgical treatment of stomach cancer with the following rationale: to provide better quality of life, less pain in the postoperative period, less blood loss, earlier recovery and shorter hospital stay, all with equal surgical quality (1). Over the last 30 years with the development of equipment and improvement in optical systems, there has been a great advance in studies that confirmed technical safety and good oncological results (2). Although the first patients were operated on in the early 1990s, it was only between 2000 and 2010 that the most consistent studies appeared, first reporting on the effectiveness of the technique and later, showing encouraging oncological results. Nowadays, the method is receiving international approval after the publication of randomized clinical trials. Review Article