Impact of anastomotic leakage on overall and disease-free survival after surgery for gastric carcinoma. a systematic review

BACKGROUND/AIM: Gastric cancer is the fifth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related death. The only potentially curative treatment is surgical resection, which is associated with potentially severe complications, such as anastomotic leakage. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the relationship between anastomotic leakage and overall and disease-free survival after surgery for gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed and 7 articles published between 2010 and 2019 were included, including a total of 7,167 patients. RESULTS: Among the included studies the frequency of anastomotic leakage ranged from 6 to 41%. Patients affected by anastomotic leakage had an overall survival ranging between 4.1 and 97.6 months, whereas patients who did not experience anastomotic leakage had an overall survival between 23 and 109.5 months. CONCLUSION: Closer follow-up or even more aggressive oncological therapy may be considered for patients affected by anastomotic leakage after surgery for gastric cancer.