Masanori Terashima, MD, PhD, FACS, Shizuoka Cancer Center, chairman of the Japanese Clinical Oncology Group, discusses the future of bursectomy and omentectomy for patients with gastric cancer.

The role of bursectomy has been controversial for many years, explains Terashima. Bursectomy is not beneficial to overall survival in patients with gastric cancer to make gastro-omentectomy become a standard of care.

Laparoscopic and robotic gastrectomy is becoming increasingly more popular as well, but both are risky and complicated procedures, says Terashima. Further research is needed to make these treatments safer for patients.

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Dr. Terashima on Future of Bursectomy and Omentectomy for Gastric Cancer

Masanori Terashima, MD, PhD, FACS, chairman of the Japanese Clinical Oncology Group, discusses bursectomy for patients with subserosal and serosal gastric cancer.

In Japan, since the 1950s, bursectomy was standard treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer. However, due to negative reports, omentectomy became the new standard until a small, randomized phase II study was performed comparing bursectomy with non-bursectomy.

According to the trial, bursectomy seems to improve survival outcomes. However, due to the small sample size, researchers could not detect a significant enough difference between the 2 arms.

Masanori Terashima, MD, PhD, FACS

Articles

Dr. Terashima on Future of Bursectomy and Omentectomy for Gastric Cancer

Dr. Terashima on Bursectomy for Subserosal and Serosal Gastric Cancer