A meta-analysis of comparison of proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction and total gastrectomy for proximal early gastric cancer

Background: In theory, proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction (PG-DT) was superior to total gastrectomy (TG) in hematologic and nutritional outcomes. However, its clinical effects in proximal early gastric cancer (EGC) have been controversial. Methods The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcomes of laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction (LPG-DT) for proximal EGC. For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched for articles published before December of 2018 in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Medline, and Cochrane Library. Results The results showed no significant difference in the anastomotic stenosis (OR=0.91, 95%CI=0.33-2.50, p=0.85) and reflux esophagitis (OR=1.87, 95%CI=0.62-5.65, p=0.27) between LPG-DT and laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG). The vitamin B12 supplementation rate in the LPG-DT group was lower than the LTG group (OR=0.06, 95%Cl=0.01-0.59, p=0.02). Conclusions Due to comparable clinical effect, PG-DT is comparable to TG for patients with proximal EGC. In addition, LPG-DT not only appears superior to TG in terms of preventing vitamin B12 deficiency, but also does not increase the risk of anastomotic stricture and reflux esophagitis.