Comparison of long-term oncological outcomes of laparoscopic and open resection of rectal cancer / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the long-term oncological outcomes of laparoscopic and open resection of rectal cancers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January, 2003 and December, 2008, 514 patients with rectal cancer were admitted in our hospital, among whom 186 underwent laparoscopic tumor resection and 238 received open radical resection of the tumors. The long-term survival of the patients and the recurrence pattern were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median follow-up of the patients was 48.54∓28.76 months. No significant differences were found between the two groups in the local recurrence rate (3.9% vs 5.5%, P=0.284), 5-year overall survival (69.4% vs 61.3%, P=0.067), or the 5-year disease-free survival rates (67.7% vs 60.7%, P=0.110). Both the 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival of the patients in stage IV were better in the laparoscopic group than in the open surgery group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Laparoscopic resection of rectal cancer can achieve long-term oncological outcomes comparable to those of conventional open surgery.</p>