Outcomes of anterior resection after laparoscopic and open surgery

Background The introduction of the laparoscope has improved the feasibility and patient health, owing to being a less invasive procedure. The use of a laparoscope for colorectal cancer surgery was debatable for fear of recurrence, tumor spillage, and nonradical tumor excision. However, the tendency for using laparoscopy in colorectal cancer surgery is in favor nowadays. Aim The aim was to compare the results of laparoscopic and open surgical techniques in colorectal cancer located in the rectosigmoid region. Patients and methods This prospective study included 50 patients with upper rectal cancer attending the outpatient clinic of Ain Shams University Hospitals, who were treated over a 3-year period. Patients underwent anterior resection either by open technique (first group) or using laparoscopy (second group). Comparative items included operative events (time, blood loss, efficacy of tumor resection, etc.), early postoperative complications (wound infection, anastomotic leakage, etc.), and late postoperative complications (stricture and local recurrence). Results This study shows no significant difference between the two groups regarding length of specimen, safety margins, number of retrieved lymph nodes, tumor recurrence, or mortality. However, it shows significantly longer procedure, less blood loss, and less wound complications in the laparoscopic group. Conclusion Both laparoscopic and open procedures for rectal cancer surgeries can achieve the same radical resection; however, wound complications seemingly are more frequent in cases having open colorectal resections. The time consumption problem of advanced laparoscopic surgery will improve by gaining more experience and using the best equipment.