Results of a multicenter study of 1,057 cases of rectal cancer treated by laparoscopic surgery

The aim of this study was to clarify the feasibility of laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer retrospectively in 28 centers throughout Japan. Between May 1994 and February 2006, 1,057 selected patients with rectal cancer underwent laparoscopic surgery. All the data regarding the patient details, and operative and postoperative outcome were collected retrospectively. Mean follow-up was 30 months. Procedures included anterior resection in 938, abdominoperineal resection in 107, Hartmann's procedure in 10, and others in two patients. Conversion to open procedures occurred in 77 patients (7.3%). Postoperative surgical complications developed in 235 patients (22.2%), including anastomotic leakage in 84 (9.1%). Median length of postoperative hospital stay was 15 days (7-271 days). Patients with upper rectal cancer had shorter hospital stay than those with lower rectal cancer (14 versus 18 days, p < 0.01). Tumor-node-metastases (TNM) stage included 83(7.9%) stage 0, 495 (46.8%) stage I, 197 (18.6%) stage II, 230 (21.8%) stage III, and 52 (4.9%) stage IV. Recurrence was developed in 67 patients (6.6%) of the 1,011 curatively treated patients. Local recurrence occurred in 11 patients (1.0%). There was no port-site metastasis. Of the 1,011 curatively treated patients, the 3-year disease-free survival rate was 100% in stage 0, 94.6% in stage I, 82.1% in stage II, and 79.7% in stage III. Laparoscopic surgery is feasible and safe in selected patients with rectal cancer, with favorable short-term and mid-term outcome.