Laparoscopic Surgery For CRC

Laparoscopic surgery has resulted in the ability to treat many surgical diseases in a minimally invasive way. Its use for diseases of the colon has been around for many years, but concerns have existed about whether it should be used for patients with colorectal cancer. The central concern has been whether or not all of the cancer can be removed as well as with a traditional open surgery. A landmark trial (The COST Trial) published in 2004 has settled the argument for most surgeons regarding this aspect of laparoscopic colorectal surgery. This post will discuss the trial and also the potential benefits of laparoscopic surgery for the colon & rectum.

The Comparison Of Surgical Treatments (COST) Trial

To address the question of whether or not the cancer outcome was the same for people having laparoscopic surgery as it was for traditional open surgery, a nationwide group of surgeons participated in a randomized, controlled trial of laparoscopic vs. open surgery for colon cancer. Following surgery, the patients were followed for 5 years to determine if survival and cancer recurrence were the same in both groups. This study found that patients in both groups had similar numbers of recurrences and the same survival suggesting that laparoscopic surgery is as effective as open surgery in managing colon cancer. This was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in May 2004.

ADVANTAGES OF LAPAROSCOPIC COLON SURGERY

Less Pain

Numerous trials have documented that patients undergoing laparoscopic colon surgery require less narcotic pain medication following surgery than patients undergoing traditional open surgical resection.

Shorter Hospital Stay

Most studies suggest that patients undergoing laparoscopic colon surgery are discharged from the hospital approximately one day sooner than patients undergoing traditional open resection. The reasons for this are a matter of controversy. There may be a more rapid return of the bowel to its normal function allowing patients to eat sooner, or surgeons may be feeding these patients sooner because they had a less invasive procedure.

Sooner Return to Work

Many studies demonstrate that patients return to work sooner after laparoscopic surgery which may be because they have less pain and their surgeons are less worried about hernia formation.