Notes on laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery—current status from clinical studies of minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer

To establish high-quality evidence of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LAG) in the field of gastric cancer treatments, large-scale, prospective randomized controlled trials have been performed in Japan, Korea and China. Furthermore, as advanced laparoscopic techniques have been developed, prospective clinical studies are being performed with regard to laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy and robotic gastrectomy. This review summarizes the current status of minimally invasive surgeries for gastric cancer based on the latest ongoing clinical trials.