Laparoscopic surgery for left-sided colon cancer: Clinical and long-term oncologic outcomes

Purpose Laparoscopic surgery for left-sided colon cancer is one of the most frequent procedures performed in laparoscopic colorectal surgery. In this study, we analyzed clinical and long-term oncological outcomes of left-sided colon cancer patients who underwent conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) and hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS). Methods A total of 172 CLS patients and 72 HALS patients for left-sided colon cancer from July 2001 to December 2011 were included in this study. The collected data included the clinical and oncological outcomes. We analyzed overall survival and disease-free survival by tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage. Results The mean age of the patients was 64 years, and male patients were predominant. The mean follow-up period was 58.1 months. The number of patients that belong in each TNM stage 0, I, II, III, and IV was as follows: 17 (7%), 47 (19.2%), 70 (28.7%), 80 (32.8%), and 30 (12.3%), respectively. Overall 5-year survival rate for TNM stage I, II, III, and IV was 87.1%, 82.8%, 82%, and 12%, respectively. Overall 5-year survival rate for CLS group and HALS group was 90.2% and 66.7%, 86.5% and 77%, 88.7% and 67.4%, and 18.9% and 0%, respectively. Disease-free 5-year survival rate for TNM stage I, II, and III was 97.7%, 90.7%, and 72.8%, respectively. Disease-free 5-year survival rate for CLS group and HALS group was 97.3% and 100%, 100% and 78.8%, and 81% and 55.1%, respectively. Conclusion These data show the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic surgery for left-sided colon cancer in terms of long-term oncological outcomes.