Current controversies in treating remnant gastric cancer: Are minimally invasive approaches feasible?

The incidence of remnant gastric cancer (RGC) is still increasing. Minimally invasive approaches including endoscopic resection, laparoscopic and robotic approaches, and function-preserving gastrectomy have been utilized as curative treatment methods for primary gastric cancer. However, adhesions and anatomical alterations due to previous gastrectomy make the use of minimally invasive approaches complicated and difficult for RGC. Application of these approaches for the treatment of RGC is still controversial. Endoscopic submucosal dissection is a favorable alternative therapy for the resection of early gastric cancer that occurs in the remnant stomach and can prevent unnecessary complications. The majority of retrospective studies have shown that endoscopic submucosal dissection is an effective and oncologically safe treatment modality for RGC. Subtotal gastrectomy could serve as a function-preserving gastrectomy for patients with early RGC and improve postoperative late-phase function. However, there are only two studies that demonstrate the feasibility and oncological efficacy of subtotal gastrectomy for RGC. The non-randomized controlled trials showed that compared to open gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastrectomy for RGC led to better short-term outcomes and similar oncologic results. Because of the rarity of RGC, future multicenter studies are required to determine the indications of minimally invasive treatment for RGC.