Current Trends in Gastric Cancer Surgery and Postoperative Care

The surgical management of gastric cancer has evolved rapidly, with minimally invasive, function-preserving, and fluorescence-guided techniques increasingly adopted as standard practice. Laparoscopic and robotic gastrectomies have shown comparable long-term oncologic outcomes while providing improved perioperative recovery, and individualized reconstruction methods further enhance postoperative quality of life. Recent trials support the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced disease, demonstrating improved recurrence-free survival. Postoperative management has shifted its focus from early complication prevention to long-term care, addressing nutritional deficiencies and functional syndromes such as anemia, osteoporosis, dumping syndrome, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Close coordination between surgeons and multidisciplinary care teams is crucial to ensure the prompt management of postoperative complications, including bleeding, leakage, and abscess formation. The implementation of structured protocols for nutritional assessment, micronutrient supplementation, and comprehensive long-term surveillance is strongly advocated to optimize patient survival and preserve postoperative quality of life. This review summarizes the latest evidence and trends in surgical and postoperative care for gastric cancer, highlighting the importance of standardized, evidence-based protocols and individualized patient care strategies.