Single center experience of laparoscopic vs. open resection for gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach

Background/Aims: With better understanding of disease biology and technological advances, an increasing number of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are being resected laparoscopically. We assessed our management of gastric GISTs in our institution. Methodology: Prospectively collected data from 13 patients who under-went surgery for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors over an 18-month period were analyzed with respect to operative and oncological outcomes. Seven patients underwent open resection and 6 patients had laparoscopic resection. Results: The tumors were evenly distributed in both groups in whom the median age was 68 years in the open group vs. 70 years in the laparoscopic group. The median operating time was 132 min in the open group and 110 min in the laparoscopic group and patients who had a laparoscopic resection had a shorter hospital stay (4 days versus 11 days). Patients in the open group had a larger tumor the patients in the laparoscopic group (11.5x6x4cm vs. 5x4x3cm). No patient had evidence of recurrence at median follow-up of 9 months. Conclusions: Patients with small gastric GISTs can be safely resected with a laparoscopic approach, offering a quicker operation and shorter hospital stay. A laparoscopic approach does not alter risk of early local or distant recurrence.