Abstract
Hyaluronan is a component of an anti-adhesive barrier and has been implicated in tumor growth and metastasis. We aimed to determine whether this anti-adhesive barrier was associated with rates of postoperative complications and duration of survival in patients with gastric cancer. We identified 415 consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy. Information about patients' demographics, medical history, surgical procedures, postoperative complications, disease stage, histology, and survival was collected from medical records. One hundred and ninety-six patients received intraoperative placement of an anti-adhesive barrier composed of hyaluronan-carboxymethylcellulose (HA-CMC) (HA-CMC group), and 219 did not (control group). The incidence of postoperative complications was significantly increased in the control group (22.8%) compared with the HA-CMC group (13.3%). However, there was no significant difference in overall survival between the HA-CMC and control groups. Our study suggests that the anti-adhesive barrier does not affect oncologic outcome, nor does it increase postoperative complications in patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer.