In a nutshell
In this study the authors examined whether laparoscopic surgery (a modern, minimally-invasive technique involving very small incisions) is as effective as open surgery (original technique where a large incision is made) for patients with colon cancer.
Some background
Surgery is the main treatment for curing colorectal cancer. Until the introduction of laparoscopic surgery in 1991 only open surgery was performed. The short-term benefits of laparoscopic surgery are very clear: decreased hospital stay and quicker recovery. However, questions remain as to the overall long-term benefits of one surgery over the other in terms of patient survival.
Methods & findings
The authors included a total of 5 previously published studies (including a total of 3,152 patients) in their analysis. The average patient age was between 68 and 71.
1,510 (47.9%) patients had open surgery and 1642 (52.1%) had laparoscopic surgery. Overall survival data was compared for both surgery methods.
There was no statistical difference in long-term overall survival between laparoscopic and open surgery. When the patients were grouped, based on their cancer stage, there was no difference between the two surgery techniques for patients with stage I or stage III. In patients with stage II colon cancer there was a non-significant trend towards better survival in favor of open surgery (21% better survival).
The bottom line
The authors concluded that there is no difference in long-term survival between open surgery and laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer.
Published By :
Colorectal Disease
Date :
Nov 09, 2013
