Objective: To evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for mid-low rectal cancer.
Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted among 24 patients with mid-low rectal cancer who received laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) after neoadjuvant CRT. Another 24 patients with mid-low rectal cancer were randomly selected form those undergoing primary laparoscopic TME to serve as the control group. The clinical data and surgical data of the two groups of patients were collected and analyzed comparatively.
Results: TME after CRT resulted in significantly lower lymph node yield compared with the control group (7.08-/+6.5 vs 12.5-/+4.1, P<0.05). The two groups were comparable in the operative time, intraoperative blood loss, intestinal function recovery, positive surgical margins, rate of conversion to open surgery, and occurrence of intra- and postoperative complications.
Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgery of mid-low rectal cancer after neoadjuvant CRT can be safe and feasible and produce surgical effects comparable to exclusive laparoscopic surgery.