Clinical Outcomes of Laparoscopic Versus Laparotomic Distal Gastrectomy in Gastric Cancer Patients: A Multilevel Analysis Based on a Nationwide Administrative Database in Japan

Background The present study compared the short-term outcomes and costs of laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) with those of open distal gastrectomy (ODG) for gastric cancer using a nationwide administrative database in Japan. Method Overall, 37,752 patients with gastric cancer who underwent distal gastrectomy at 1074 hospitals in the fiscal year 2012–2013 were evaluated using a diagnosis procedure combination database in Japan. We performed a retrospective analysis via a multilevel analysis (MLA) of the short-term surgical results and costs of the LDG and ODG groups. The models included the age, sex, comorbid complications, smoking, body mass index (BMI), activity of daily living (ADL), stage, and the number of cases of gastrectomy per facility for adjustment. The in-hospital mortality relative to the hospital volume was also compared. Results The LDG group required postoperative blood transfusion less frequently and had fewer postoperative complications, shorter hospitalization, and lower operative mortality than the ODG group. While this stage did not correlate with the in-hospital mortality, the surgical method, age, sex, ADL, BMI, comorbidity, and yearly volume showed a correlation. A significant association in the in-hospital mortality was observed between low- and very-high-volume hospitals. Conclusion In this large nationwide cohort of patients with gastric cancer using an MLA, LDG was shown to be safer with lower mortality and postoperative complication rates than ODG.