Since there is no abstract we provide the first sentence
Screening programs including access to endoscopy for the population in Japan and Korea have substantially increased the rate of early-stage gastric cancer [1]. Detecting gastric cancer and lymphoma at early stages I and II is the most powerful way to increase cure rates [2,3]. With a diagnosis at these early stages of disease, most patients have a localized disease without micrometastases and can be cured with standardized, appropriate D2 surgery [1, 4-6]. Efforts to improve quality of life of these patients with expected long-term survival have resulted in the development of laparascopic-assisted gastrectomy (LAG). This patient-friendly technique attracts now great attention and interest in the treatment of patients with gastric cancer as it can be associated with quicker return of gastrointestinal function, faster ambulation, and earlier discharge from hospital than open gastrectomy. However, there are several open questions regarding surgeon’s experience, operating time, morbidity, mortality and recurrence [7].
