Gastric cancer has been one of the great malignant scourges affecting man kind for as long as medical records have been kept. Until operative resection pioneered by Bilroth and others became available, no effective treatment was feasible and death from cancer was virtually inevitable. Even with resection by total gastrectomy, the chances of tumor eradication remained small. Over recent years, however, the situation has been changing. Some changes have resulted from better understanding of the disease, early detec tion, and better management techniques with applied clinical research, but the reasons for other changes are poorly understood. For example, the incidence of gastric cancer is decreasing, especially in westernized societies, where it has fallen from one of the most common cancers to no longer being in the top five causes of cancer death. Still it remains the number one killer of adult males in Japan and Korea. Whether the reduced incidence in western societies is a result of dietary changes or methods of food preservation, or some other reason, is as yet uncertain. Improvements in outcome have been reported from mass screening and early detection; more refined techniques of establishing early diagnosis, tumor type, and tumor extent; more radical surgical resection; and resection at earlier stages of disease.

This text takes a multidisciplinary approach to the surgical management of gastronintestinal cancer. It begins with an introduction to cancer screening and detection of gastronintestinal cancer; recent advances in molecular biology and their potential applications in clinical management; hereditary factors; tumour markers; the role of nutrition in the outcome of cancer treatment; and an overview of endoscopic considerations, laparoscopic assessment and practical radiological issues. The work also presents approaches for the management of oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, liver, bile duct and gallbladder, and lower gastrointestinal cancer.

Included here is a discussion of the pathophysiological aspects and risks of laparoscopic staging (such as trocar metastases) on the basis of international experience.

Although there has been a slow but steady decrease in incidence, gastric cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Several aspects of the oncological and surgical management are still controversial and so gastric cancer represents a challenge for the surgeon. This book aims to delineate the state of the art in the surgical and oncological treatment of gastric cancer, describing the new TNM staging system, the extent of visceral resection and lymphadenectomy focusing on the different open and minimally invasive surgical techniques and discussing intraoperative chemohyperthermia and neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment. Operative endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography are also discussed, as these now have an important role in both diagnostic work-up and palliative care of gastric cancer patients. Only a multidisciplinary approach involving the surgeon, gastroenterologist, and oncologist can produce the comprehensive and integrated overview that today constitutes a winning strategy for the optimization of results.What we hope we have achieved is a flexible, up-to-date, exhaustive publication, rich in illustrations and consistent with evidence-based medicine.

This book clearly describes the surgical procedures employed in patients with gastric cancer. The techniques used in the various types of gastrectomy are presented step by step, and the roles of endoscopic treatment and chemotherapy are also discussed. A distinctive practical feature is the provision of accompanying online videos of standard surgical procedures, which will serve as excellent learning aids for novice practitioners and provide ideal teaching material for experienced surgeons. Surgery remains the mainstay in the treatment of gastric cancer. With advances in tumor biology and technical developments, gastric cancer surgery has become more diverse and its outcomes have steadily improved. However, further improvement of certain aspects of surgical procedures and techniques is still required. Surgery for Gastric Cancer will acquaint readers with the state of the art in the field and prove a valuable tool in the quest for optimal practice.

This book presents surgical techniques and detailed illustrations of laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer, focusing on effective, concise steps and techniques. It describes in detail the perigastric anatomy, and the incidences of each anatomical structure are analyzed statistically. It also discusses lessons learned and best practices in the management of gastric cancer patients, and includes video captures of precise operational techniques -essential resources for gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgeons. Given its close connection to clinical practice, it offers a valuable reference work for general surgeons and residents.​

This book provides an educational resource of modern and advanced operative techniques for patients with GI cancers. The textbook is designed to provide a step-by-step surgical approach, highlighting key learning points and potential operative pitfalls. When appropriate, two or more different approaches on an operative procedure are presented to provide additional perspective on surgical techniques. Written descriptions of laparoscopic and robotic cancer operations are paired with online video presentations of the same cancer operation. Written by experts in the field, Surgery for Cancers of the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Step-by-Step Approach provides a concise summary of the current management of each GI cancer and is of great utility to not only surgeons at all levels of training, but also for surgeons in practice who seek to reinforce or learn new surgical techniques.