Is Laparoscopic Multivisceral Resection Applicable to Colorectal Cancer Adherent to Adjacent Organs? / 대한내시경복강경외과학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic multivisceral resection of colorectal cancer adherent to adjacent organs. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively 32 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic multivisceral resection for colorectal cancer adherent to adjacent organs between June 2003 and May 2009. Survival curves were generated by Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The median age of 32 patients was 73 years. In 10 of 17 rectal cancer patients (59%), neoadjuvant chemoradiation was performed. All the surgeries were completed laparoscopically. The postoperative complications occurred in 21.9% and there was no operative mortality. The median length of hospital stay was 15.5 days. In 23 of 32 patients (72%), the resection was considered curative. Median follow-up period of all patients and curatively resected patients was 22 (range, 2~65) months, 34 (range, 4~65) months respectively. Local recurrence rate, the 3-year overall survival rate and the 3-year disease free survival rate of 23 curatively resected patients was 4.3%, 92.9% and 84.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic multivisceral resection is feasible and safe in highly selected patients with colorectal cancer adherent to adjacent organs. Further validation is needed.

Risk Factors for Anastomotic Leakage after Laparoscopic Rectal Resection in Rectal Cancer: Does Laparoscopic Rectal Resection Increase Anastomotic Leakage Rate?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk factors for clinical anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer. METHODS: From March 2001 and February 2006 in Seoul Veterans' Hospital, the prospective laparoscopic colorectal resection database identified 101 patients who a had laparoscopic rectal resection with colorectal or coloanal anastomosis. The associations between clinical anastomotic leakage and patient-, tumor-, surgery- and laparoscopic-related variables were studied. RESULTS: The rate of clinical anastomotic leakage was 4 percent (4 of 101). The patient-related variable significantly associated with clinical anastomotic leakage was preoperative radiotherapy. The surgery-related factor that turned out to be significant was anastomosis situated less than 5 cm from the anal verge. No tumor- or laparoscopic-related variables were significantly associated with clinical anastomotic leakage. CONSLUSIONS: A protective ileostomy should be considered after a laparoscopic rectal resection for an rectal cancer for anastomosis situated less than 5 cm from the anal verge, particularly when preoperative radiotherapy is being used.

Laparoscopic Colorectal Resection for Aged Patients

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the periopertive morbidity and mortality rates in relation to the principal variables in aged patients who undergo laparoscopic colorectal resection. METHODS: From March 2001 to March 2006, the prospective laparoscopic colorectal resection database was used to identify 233 patients. Among them, 132 were 70 years of age or older and they were classified as the aged group. 101 were younger than 70 years of age and they were classified as the younger group. RESULTS: Comorbidity was more common in the aged group than in the younger group (67.4% and 53.5%, respectively) (P=0.030). There were higher ASA scores in the aged group (I: 2.3% II: 68.2% III: 29.5%) than in the younger group (I: 27.7% II: 56.4% III: 15.8%) (P<0.0001). There was a higher postoperative complication rate for the aged group than for the younger group (25.0% and 8.9%, respectively) (P=0.002). Only one case of mortality (0.8%) was found in the aged group. The period of the postoperative hospital stay was longer for the aged group than that for the younger group (21.9+/-3/416.3 days and 16.3+/-3/48.1days, respectively) (P= 0.002). For the aged group, univariate analysis revealed that the operative procedure, disease, the T stage and the operation time were significant variables for the postoperative complications, and multivariate analysis identified the operation time as an independent variable faor the postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: More prudent care is needed to prevent postoperative complications for the aged patients who undergo laparoscopic colorectal resection, and particularly for those who can be expected to have a longer operation time.

Occult Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid

A retrospective review was undertaken of 19 patients with occult papillary carcinoma of thyroid (lesions<1.5 cm in diameter) who were operated on at National Medical Center between 1980 and 1993. The prevalence of occult thyroid cancer was 11.7 %(19/162) of papillary cancer and 3.5 %(19/535) of all cases operated for thyroid disease. All patients were female and the mean age of patients was 45 years. Four out of 19 patients (21%) had cervical lymph node metastasis. The mean age for the group of patients with nodal metastasis was 37 years, which was more than a decade younger than the age for those without nodal metastasis, 47 years. The mean maximum diameter of the tumors was 0.72 cm with the range of 0.2 to 1.4 cm. Histologically all lesions were densely fibrotic, unencapsulated and composed of a predominantly follicular pattern. Operations were conservative. For patients with nodal metastasis, lymphadenectomy generally involved a selective node excision or a modified radical neck dissection. The mean follow-up period was 6.5 years. All patients were alive without evidence of recurrent disease and distant metastasis. Thus, radical surgical or medical extirpation of all thyroid tissue is unnecessary in the treatment of this disease.