Introduction: Previous randomized controlled trials demonstrated similar oncological outcomes between laparoscopic-assisted (LA) and open (OP) colectomy; however, patients with transverse colon cancer were not analyzed. The aim of this study was to confirm the oncological safety and the advantages of the short- and long-term results of LA surgery for transverse colon cancer in comparison to OP surgery.
Materials and methods: The study data were retrospectively collected from the databases of four hospitals. Patients with transverse colon cancer who underwent LA or OP R0 or R1 resection were registered.
Results: Among the 204 patients, 149 underwent OP colectomy and 55 underwent LA colectomy. The median follow-up period was 43 months. The rate of conversion to OP resection was 7.3%. The 5-year overall survival rate of the LA group was higher than that of the OP surgery group for all-stage patients (97.5% vs. 91.1%, P = 0.108), and it was similar in Stage II and Stage III patients (94.1% vs. 94.2%, P = 0.510). The LA group had significantly lower blood loss and a significantly longer operative time in comparison to the OP surgery group. Furthermore, the postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter (9 vs. 13 days, P = 0.001) and the incidence of Grade ≥III complications was lower in the LA group (3.7% vs. 14.8%, P = 0.031).
Conclusion: We concluded that LA surgery for transverse colon cancer is oncologically safe and yields better short-term results in comparison to OP surgery.
Keywords: Laparoscopic colectomy; outcomes; transverse colon cancer.