Minimally invasive surgery and gastric cancer: where are we now?

The management of gastric neoplasms has undergone numerous changes following the continuous development of new therapies, improvements in endoscopic and surgical technique, as well as following the introduction of combined treatments. This made it possible to guarantee the patient with gastric cancer the best chances of treatment. Today, treatments are often personalized, based on the characteristics of the individual patient as well as the stage and location of the tumor; surgery still remains a key point (1). Technological advances have led to less and less aggressive procedures, while maintaining the effectiveness of traditional treatments. The use of smaller surgical incisions and the consequent reduction in surgical trauma has resulted in a faster postoperative recovery for patients with gastric cancer. Laparoscopy has spread globally in most surgical centers and research is focusing on applying even more sophisticated robotic technologies to gastric cancer surgery. Robotic surgery, which until a few years ago seemed to be only a remote option due to its high costs, is now increasingly used in an increasing number of specialized centers (2). © Annals of Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Surgery. All rights reserved.