AIM:To evaluate the feasibility and therapeutic effects of para-aortic nodal dissection (PAND) for advanced gastric cancer.METHODS:Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies comparing D2 + PAND with D2 lymphadenectomy were identified using a predefined search strategy.Five-year overall survival rate,post-operative mortality,and wound degree of surgery between the two operations were compared by using the methods provided by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.RESULTS:Four RCTs (1120 patients) and 4 nonrandomized studies (901 patients) were identif ied.Metaanalysis showed that there was no signif icant difference between these two groups in 5-year overall survival rate [risk ratio (RR) 1.04 (95% CI:0.93-1.16) for RCTs and 0.96 (95% CI:0.83-1.10) for non-randomized studies] and post-operative mortality [RR 0.99 (95% CI:0.44-2.24) for RCTs and 2.06 (95% CI:0.69-6.15) for non-randomized studies].There was a significant difference between these two groups in wound degree of surgery,operation time was significantly longer [weighted mean difference (WMD) 195.32 min (95% CI:114.59-276.05) for RCTs and 126.07 min (95% CI:22.09-230.04) for non-randomized studies] and blood loss was signif icantly greater [WMD 301 mL (95% CI:151.55-450.45) for RCTs and 302.86 mL (95% CI:127.89-477.84) for non-randomized studies] in D2 + PAND.CONCLUSION:D2 + PAND can be performed as safely as standard D2 resection without increasing post-operative mortality but fail to benefit overall survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer.
