Robotic surgery at the forefront: highlights from the 97th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association 2025

Abstract:

The 97th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association was held from March 12 to March 14, 2025, in Nagoya, Japan. The conference was chaired by Professor Kazuhiro Uyama from Fujita Medical University and attracted nearly 2 000 scholars from around the world, including Japan, China, the republic of Korea, the United States, and Europe. With the theme of "Digital Innovation in Gastric Tumors," the conference focused on the application of artificial intelligence, robotic surgery, and other innovations in the treatment of gastric cancer. It explored how high-precision and highly reproducible robotic surgical techniques are transforming traditional approaches to gastric cancer surgery, along with topics such as digital innovation, future medical policies, and strategies that herald a new era in healthcare. The meeting featured one main venue and 60 sub-venues with different themes, ultimately accepting 1 003 submissions. A total of 158 oral presentations covering 80 topics and 203 poster presentations were delivered. Among them, approximately 145 lectures were related to robotic surgery for gastric cancer, and when including poster presentations, nearly 255 topics were associated with gastric cancer robotic surgery. Additionally, the 7th edition of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines was released during the meeting. Our team had the honor of participating in this prestigious event. Drawing from our experience at both this conference and the 17th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Robotic Surgery held in Utsunomiya, Japan, from March 7 to March 8, 2025, we provide a detailed report on the latest advancements in robotic surgery for gastric cancer, hoping to offer valuable insights and references for fellow surgeons both in China and abroad.