Long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic versus open resection following stent insertion for obstructing colon cancer: a multi-center retrospective study

Background This study compared oncologic outcomes between open and laparoscopic surgery following self-expanding metallic stents insertion for obstructing colon cancer. Methods This retrospective study included 50 patients who underwent open surgery and 44 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for obstructing left-sided colon cancer at four tertiary referral hospitals between June 2005 and December 2013. Results The median follow-up periods were 48 months and 47 months in the open and laparoscopic groups, respectively. The median operative time, time to soft diet, and length of stay were comparable between the groups. Four cases converted to open surgery (9.1%) in the laparoscopic group. The morbidity within 30 days after surgery was comparable between the groups (OR 0.931; 95% CI 0.357-2.426; p = 0.884). The proximal and distal resection margins, the histologic grade of tumor, TNM stage, median tumor size, and presence of lymphovascular invasion did not differ significantly between the groups. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of the open and laparoscopic groups were 67.1% and 71.7% (HR 1.028, 95% CI 0.491-2.15, p = 0.942) and the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 55.8% and 61.5% (HR 0.982; 95% CI 0.522-1.847; p = 0.955), respectively. The recurrence pattern did not differ between the groups. Multivariate analysis showed that sex (p = 0.027), nodal stage (p = 0.043), and the proportion of patients receiving postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.002) were independent prognostic factors for OS. The proportion of patients receiving postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.017) was an independent prognostic factor for DFS. Conclusions Laparoscopic resection following stent insertion for obstructing colon cancer can be performed safely, with long-term oncologic outcomes comparable with those of open surgery.