Purpose: To compare the perioperative and short-term oncological outcomes of patients who underwent single-port surgery (SPS) with those of patients who underwent multi-port surgery (MPS) for transverse colon cancer.
Methods: The records of consecutive patients who underwent SPS (n = 75) or MPS (n = 41) for transverse colon cancer in our department between January, 2008 and December, 2015 were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: Operative times were significantly shorter in the SPS group than in the MPS group (185 vs. 195 min, respectively; P = 0.043). There were no significant differences in operative procedures, blood loss, or extent of lymph node dissection. The rate of postoperative complications was similar in both groups, but the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the single-port group than in the multi-port group (8 vs. 11 days, respectively; P < 0.001). Oncological outcomes were similar in both groups. The disease-free survival rate at 2 years did not differ significantly between the groups (91.1 vs. 94.9 %, respectively; P = 0.414).
Conclusions: Our experience demonstrates that SPS is safe and can provide oncological outcomes equal to those of MPS for transverse colon cancer.
Keywords: Outcomes; Single-incision laparoscopic surgery; Single-port surgery; Transverse colon cancer.