Robotic versus laparoscopic gastrectomy in elderly gastric cancer patients: a retrospective comparative study

With Japan's aging population, the number of elderly patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery is increasing. Robotic gastrectomy (RG) is reported to offer advantages in reducing postoperative complications compared to conventional laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG). This study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of RG as well as to figure out the clinical significance in elderly patients.

This is a retrospective single-center study to analyze clinical data of patients who underwent either LG or RG for gastric cancer using an inhouse database between January 2018 and December 2022.

A total of 951 patients were included: 635 non-elderly (LG: 444, RG: 191) and 316 elderly (≥ 75 years; LG: 233, RG: 83). In both cohorts, RG was associated with longer operative time and slightly more blood loss than LG. Although not statistically significant, the incidence of severe complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ III) tended to be lower in the RG group in both the non-elderly (2.6 vs. 6.3%, p = 0.08) and elderly (3.6 vs. 6.0%, p = 0.57) cohorts. Multivariate analysis identified physical status and total/proximal gastrectomy (TG/PG) as independent risk factors for severe complications in elderly patients, while LG and TG/PG were significant predictors in non-elderly patients.

RG appears to be a safe and feasible option for elderly gastric cancer patients, with comparable short-term outcomes to LG. In the elderly population, the occurrence of postoperative complications is more strongly influenced by physical status and procedural complexity than by surgical approach (RG or LG), emphasizing the need for individualized operative planning.