Laparoscopic versus open treatment of gallbladder cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of laparoscopic surgery on the treatment of patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC). Methods: A comprehensive search of Medline and Cochrane Library was conducted to identify relevant articles. A meta-analysis was subsequently performed. Results: A total of 20 studies including 1217 patients met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate was significant higher in laparoscopic group than open group (48.4% vs. 38.5%; odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22–2.19; P = 0.001). Although the scar recurrence rate was significant higher in laparoscopic group than open group (7.1% vs. 4.0%; OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.11–3.96; P = 0.02), the overall recurrence rates between two groups were not significant different (44.8% vs. 42.2%; OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.64–1.14; P = 0.29). In addition, compared with open extended cholecystectomy (EC), laparoscopic EC (LEC) was associated with less intraoperative blood loss, shorter post-operative hospital stays and insignificant less complication rate (10.0% vs. 18.3%; OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.15–1.73; P = 0.28). Conclusion: Laparoscopic simple cholecystectomy does not lead to a worse prognosis when applied on patients with GBC. LEC can be performed in specialised expert centres on elective patients.