[Indications of laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer]

Consensus has been reached on the advantage and validity of laparoscopic surgery, but how to extend the usage of laparoscopic surgery in gastric cancer properly in China remains a problem as advanced gastric cancer occupies the majority of patients here. In the treatment of early gastric cancer, laparoscopic surgery nowadays is one of the standard treatments but surgeons still need to follow the indication of surgery strictly to avoid the excessive treatment in patients who are indicated for endoscopic therapy. There is still lack of evidence on the application of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, therefore these procedures should be performed in the context of clinical trials. With the development of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, training, certification and supervision systems are still not established. More attention should be paid to the choice of patients during the early period of learning curves and the indication of advanced stage.