LECS is an abbreviation for Laparoscopy and Endoscopy Cooperative Surgery. Under the LECS method, endoscopic treatment and laparoscopic surgery are performed simultaneously to remove gastric submucosal tumors. Since the time the procedure was first introduced into the mainstream by Dr. Hiki et al., it has been performed on an experimental basis in several major medical facilities in Japan.

Recently, in diseases such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and other gastric submucosal tumors, many innovative measures been made, and the number of case histories has been expanding.

The focus of the LECS Study Group is not only limited to surgeries involving gastric submucosal tumors, but rather it encompasses the broad spectrum of conditions which might benefit from the LECS combination of endoscopic and laproscopic techniques. By combining the endoscopic treatment and laparoscopic surgical techniques cultivated here in Japan, we believe that the result will be a more gentle treatment protocol which will be more accurate and safer for patients. At the LECS Study Group, we are working to improve the safety and technology of LECS, and to promote LECS as a whole.

What is LECS method?
１．Submucosal dissection using an endoscope 　 •IT knife 100-W Endo-cut mode with pericardial incision
２．Laparoscopic operation 　　•Performing an additional incision with an endoscope. 　　•Insertion of ultrasonic coagulation and incision device through perforation. 　　•Resection along the mucosal segmentation line
３．Laparoscopic closure of the stomach wall 　　•Closure by automatic suturing device