Background: Few long-term results of laparoscopic resection for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) of the stomach have been established to evaluate technical safety and oncologic feasibility.
Methods: Between April, 1998 and October, 2008, data of 18 patients who underwent laparoscopic resection of GISTs of <5 cm in diameter were reviewed.
Results: There were 10 men and 8 women with average age of 66.5 years. Estimated blood loss was minimal, and average operation time was 99.2 ± 30.5 minutes. There were no major intraoperative complications or conversions to open approach. Oral feeding started 2 to 4 days after operation, and the mean hospital stay was 10.1 ± 5.5 days. There were no major postoperative complications except for 1 patient who suffered from aspiration pneumonia. Tumor size was 3.7 ± 1.1 cm (range, 1.5 to 7.0 cm), and all patients had free surgical margins. During long-term follow-up (average 54.6 mo), no complications occurred except for liver metastasis in only 1 patient who was responding well to imatinib therapy.
Conclusions: Laparoscopic wedge resection of GISTs of <5 cm in diameter is a safe and oncologically feasible technique offering good long-term outcomes.