Laparoscopic Surgery for Transverse Colon Cancer: Short- and Long-Term Outcomes in Comparison with Conventional Open Surgery

Abstract

Background: Published studies on laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer are scarce. More studies are necessary to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer. Subjects and Methods: From April 1996 to December 2010, 102 consecutive patients with stage II or III disease who had undergone curative resection for transverse colon cancer were enrolled. Seventy-nine patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted colectomy (LAC), whereas 23 patients underwent conventional open colectomy (OC). Short- and long-term outcomes of the two groups were compared. Results: The OC group had a larger tumor size (7.63.4cm versus 5.2 +/- 2.3cm, P=.004) and more retrieved lymph nodes (26.4 +/- 11.6 versus 17.5 +/- 9.4, P=.002), without differences in resection margins. In the LAC group, return to diet was faster (4.5 +/- 1.2 days versus 5.4 +/- 1.8 days, P=.013), and postoperative hospital stay was shorter (12.1 +/- 4.2 days versus 15.9 +/- 4.8 days, P=.000). There were no differences in occurrence of intra- or postoperative complications. There were no statistically significant differences in overall survival rate (OS) or disease-free survival rate (DFS) between the two groups (5-year OS, 90.4% versus 90.5%, P=.670; 5-year DFS, 84.2% versus 90.7%, P=.463). Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer has better short-term outcomes compared with open surgery, with acceptable long-term outcomes. As in colorectal cancer of other sites, laparoscopic surgery can be a feasible alternative to conventional surgery for transverse colon cancer.