Vagus nerve-preserving distal gastrectomy may improve the quality of life after gastrectomy in early stage gastric cancer patients

Gastric cancer is a serious health problem, with the fourth highest incidence rate and the second highest mortality rate in the world. As improvements have been made in diagnostic techniques, including gastroscopy screening, the frequency of diagnosis in the early stage has increased (1). Treatments for early stage gastric cancer include endoscopic therapy and gastrectomy with lymph node dissection. Cases of early gastric cancer that are not eligible for endoscopic treatment are often treated with laparoscopic surgery, particularly in Asian countries (2). Advantages of laparoscopic surgery include a good cosmetic outcome with small scars, less pain, early recovery from intestinal peristalsis, and a shorter hospital stay. However, the procedure performed intraoperatively, so-called radical gastric resection accompanied with lymph node dissection, is the same as a conventional gastrectomy. Although patients with early stage gastric cancer have a good prognosis, after gastric resection, they suffer from issues such as diarrhea, weight loss, and gastrointestinal symptoms, in the long-term (3,4).