Recurrence Pattern after Laparoscopic Resection for Colorectal Cancer: Analysis according to Timing of Recurrence and Location of Primary Tumor

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the recurrence pattern after a curative laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer according to timing of recurrence and the location of the primary tumor. METHODS: Between July 1999 and December 2003, we included 318 patients who underwent a laparoscopic resection for stage I-III colorectal cancer and in whom recurrence had been detected within two postoperative years and who had been followed up for more than two years. The mean age was 57 (23~88) years. The median follow-up time was 36 (7~71) months. RESULTS: The number of rectal cancer patients was 214, and that of colon cancer patients was 104. The total recurrence rate was 15.4%, 7.7% among colon cancer patients and 19.2% among rectal cancer patients. Recurrence according to stage was as follows: stage I: 1.6%, stage II: 5.4%, stage III: 32.5%. Of the total recurrence, 79.6% occurred within two postoperative years. In patients with rectal cancer, local recurrence was more common than in patients with colon cancer. Other types of recurrence were not influenced by the location of the primary tumor. According to timing of recurrence, metastasis to distant lymph nodes developed proportionally after two postoperative years. CONSLUSIONS: Most of the recurrencs developed within two years after a laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer. The recurrence pattern varied with the location of primary tumor and the timing of recurrence. The recurrence pattern after a laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer was similar to that after open surgery for colorectal cancer.