Radical surgery for gastric carcinoma: it is not an issue of whether to perform D1 or D2. Dissect as many lymph nodes as possible and you will be rewarded.

In the current review article, evidences on radical surgery for gastric cancer reported in the literature are highlighted. The authors conclude that extended lymphadenectomy offers a statistically significant survival benefit. This benefit is only evident if the operative mortality is less than 2%, as obtained in centers of excellence with a high-volume experience of resection of gastric cancer. Lymphadenectomy should no longer be considered only as a tool for cancer-staging, but also as a beneficial therapeutic measure.