Is partial omentectomy feasible at radical gastrectomy for advanced cancer?

We read with interest the article “ Role of omentectomy as part of radical surgery for gastric cancer ” published by Jongerius et al . in the British Journal of Surgery (1). In that study, 100 total omentectomy specimens, all procured during gastric cancer surgeries, were examined histopathologically. Authors allocated the omentectomy specimens from the stomach along the distal margin of the gastroepiploic (GE) arcus. When these omentectomy specimen were examined histopathologically, the researchers found malignancies in five omentum samples that was a marker of an advanced disease. They concluded that the total removal of omentum was thought to have limited benefit to systemic disease. For this reason, routine application of total omentectomy was not suggested. We found the results of this study, which questioned the role of omentectomy during radical gastrectomy, encouraging and rational. However, in this study, the omentum was separated from the distal from the GE arcus. In order to supply the remaining omentum, either the right GE artery or the left GE artery needs to be intact ( Figure 1 ) (2).