Long-term results of laparoscopic surgery in colorectal cancer

Laparoscopic therapy for colorectal cancer is still under critical evaluation. At this point the evidence is mainly based upon subjective evaluation by the professionals. Nevertheless, there are still too few data in which a final conclusion could be drawn. On the other hand, the few available randomized and prospective controlled studies concerning laparoscopic carcinoma surgery offer very positive results. The laparoscopic procedure seems to be equivalent and often superior to conventional approaches. All studies were performed by experts in the field and done at laparoscopically experienced surgical centers. One of the major drawbacks in these studies is that the followup periods are still too short. Furthermore, the results of almost all present studies are biased by patient selection and the experience of the clinic and/or the laparoscopic skills of individual surgeons. The conclusion can be drawn that the laparoscopic surgical approach in colorectal cancer yields promising results in selected patients when experts are performing the surgery. Nonetheless, this evidence is not strong enough to make general recommendations for the procedure.