Single-Incision Laparoscopic Colectomy for Descending Colon Cancer: a Single Institutional Experience

The applicability of single-incision laparoscopic colectomy (SILC) for descending colon cancer is poorly understood. In the present study, consecutive experiences with SILC for descending colon cancer are reviewed, and its long-term clinical and oncological outcomes are evaluated. A single institutional experience of SILC for descending colon cancer is presented. Thirty patients (13 women) with a median age of 68.7 years and a median body mass index of 23.0 kg/m(2) were treated with SILC for clinically diagnosed colon cancer between January 2011 and December 2015. We performed left hemicolectomy in patients whose tumor located at the splenic flexure, and selected descending colectomy in the other patients. There were no conversions and additional port insertion. The mean skin incision length was 2.89 cm. The mean operative time and blood loss were 184.7 min and 72.5 mL, respectively. The mean number of harvested lymph nodes was 18.8. The 5-year relapse-free survival for stage I, stage II, and stage III disease was 100%, 70.0%, and 67.3%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival for stage I, stage II, and stage III disease was 100%, 72.0%, and 67.3%, respectively. Our initial experiences showed that SILC can be applied to the treatment of descending colon cancer with good long-term clinical and oncological outcomes.