Proficiency in bariatric surgery may shorten the learning curve for minimally-invasive D2 gastrectomy.

Introduction: Evidence from Asian studies suggests that minimally-invasive gastrectomy achieves equivalent oncological but improved perioperative outcomes compared to open surgery. Oncological gastric resections are less frequent in European countries. Index procedures may play a role for the learning curve of minimally-invasive gastrectomy. The aim of our study was to evaluate if skills acquired in bariatric surgery allow a safe and oncologically adequate implementation of minimally-invasive gastrectomy in a cohort of european patients.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, all patients who received primary bariatric surgery between January 2015 and December 2018 and minimally-invasive surgery for gastric cancer treated from June 2019 to January 2023 were evaluated. Primary endpoints were operation time, lymph node yield and lymph node fractions. Secondary endpoints included postoperative complications and oncological outcomes.

Results: Learning curves for two surgeons with 350 bariatric procedures and 44 minimally-invasive gastrectomies were analyzed. For bariatric surgery, the mean operation time decreased from initially 82 ± 27 to 45 ± 21 min and 118 ± 28 to 81 ± 36 min for sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), while the complication rate remained within the international benchmark. For laparoscopic gastrectomy (n = 30), operation times decreased but then remained stable over time. Operation times for the robotic platform were longer (302 ± 60 vs. 390 ± 48 min; p < 0.001) with the learning curve remaining incomplete after 14 procedures. R0 status was achieved in 95.5% of patients; the mean number of lymph nodes retrieved was 37 ± 14 with no differences between the groups. Complete mesogastric excision was more frequently achieved during the later laparoscopic cases whereas it occurred earlier for the robotic group (p = 0.004). Perioperative morbidity was comparable to the European benchmark. Textbook outcome was achieved in 54.4% of the cases.

Conclusion: In summary, we could demonstrate a successful skill transfer from bariatric surgery to minimally-invasive laparoscopic oncological gastric surgery enabling safe and oncologically adequate minimally-invasive D2 gastrectomy in a central European patient collective.