Laparoscopic versus Open Approach for Siewert Type II/III Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Due to the specific location, the potential advantages of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) compared with open gastrectomy (OG) for Siewert II/III adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) remain uncertain. The current study aimed to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of LG versus OG in treating Siewert type II/III adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, MEDLINE (hosted by Ovid), and the Cochrane Library for publications till July 2022 and then used the RevMan 5.3 software for statistical analysis.

Results: Ten publications from 10 medical centers were included, with 1,516 cases from the LG group and 1,219 from the OG group. Meta-analysis results showed that the LG group was superior to the OG group in intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, lymph nodes retrieved, time to ambulation, time to first flatus, time to diet, 5-year overall survival, and 5-year disease-free survival. There was no significant difference between the two groups in operative time, overall complications, proximal margin, distal margin, pulmonary infection, anastomotic leakage, mortality, ileus, or absolute infection.

Conclusions: Compared with OG, LG is associated with better surgical and long-term outcomes in Siewert type II/III AEG. LG is a safe and feasible option for treating Siewert type II/III AEG. However, studies with large sample sizes, long follow-up periods, and rigorous designs are needed for verification.