Role of repeat staging laparoscopy in locoregionally advanced gastric or gastroesophageal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy

Background: Nowadays there are no international recommendations regarding the necessity of repeated diagnostic laparoscopy (with cytological examination or without it) after preoperative chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer Purpose: To determine the indications for the repeated laparoscopic surgery in gastric or gastroesophageal cancer patients Materials and methods : The information on 449 IB-III stage gastric cancer patients was analyzed. After 4 cycles of chemotherapy 52 patients underwent diagnostic laparoscopy with peritoneal fluid cytology testing. Results: The multifactorial analysis showed that tumor progression detected on CT scans and gastroscopy, subtotal gastric involvement (p < 0,014), and diffuse Lauren type (p < 0,026) were statistically significant negative prognostic factors after preoperative chemotherapy. The 8 weeks interval after neoadjuvant chemotherapy wasn’t significant. Results: The repeat staging laparoscopy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is safe and may be considered for a certain category of patients.