Low incidence of postoperative infectious complications following laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer in older adult patients above 75 years: Propensity score‐matched comparison with open distal gastrectomy

Introduction This study compared the short‐term outcomes of older adult patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who underwent open distal gastrectomy (ODG) with those who underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) using propensity score matching analysis. Methods Overall, 341 consecutive older adult patients aged 75 years with gastric cancer who underwent ODG or LDG between January 2013 and December 2020 were retrospectively assessed. Among them, 121 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer were included. To compare short‐term outcomes, a 1:1 propensity score matching analysis was performed. Results After matching, 29 patients were included in both groups. Compared with the ODG group, the LDG group had a longer operative time (mean, 290 vs. 190 min; p