Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) is gaining wider acceptance as a minimally invasive treatment for early gastric cancer, but the safety, efficacy and clinical benefits of this type of surgery are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to compare laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LADG) and conventional open distal gastrectomy (CODG) for early gastric cancer (EGC) according to the changes of the postoperative nutritional status and acute inflammatory reaction.

Eighty seven patients with EGC and who underwent a LADG between March 2006 and May 2009 at Daegu Catholic University Hospital, was enrolled. Over the same period, we enrolled 30 patients who underwent CODG and they were confirmed to have EGC from their pathology. The clinico-pathological features and serologic parameters were evaluated from the medical records and then retrospectively analyzed.

There were no differences in the preoperative white blood cell (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) level, albumin level, the T4/T8 ratio and the other clinical data between the two groups. The total WBC counts gradually increased and they were significant lower at the 1st and 3rd postoperative days in the LADG group than that in the CODG group (P=0.001 and 0.008, respectively). The postoperative CRP levels were significantly lower at postoperative 5th day in the LADG group (P<0.001). The postoperative albumin and T4/T8 ratio gradually decreased, and the T4/T8 ratio was significantly higher at the 3rd postoperative day in the LADG group compared to that in the CODG group (P=0.003).

This study demonstrates that the LADG has less of an influence on an acute inflammatory reaction than does CODG. Therefore, it is one of the safe and feasible procedures for the treatment of early gastric cancer.