Adequacy of Lymph Node Retrieval in Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Purpose. The aim of this study was to compare laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection to conventional colorectal cancer resection with regard to the number of lymph nodes retrieved. Methods. Between November 2007 and October 2009, we retrospectively investigated 1252 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent curative resection at Lin Kou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent laparoscopic surgery and those who underwent open surgery. The clinicopathologic variables of two groups were analyzed and compared, including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), tumor location, tumor size, neoadjuvant therapy, tumor stage, and the number of lymph nodes retrieval. Results. Group 1 comprised 1091 patients who underwent open surgery, and group 2 comprised 161 patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery. There was no difference in age, gender, BMI, tumor location, and tumor stage between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference in tumor size between group 1 and group 2 (4.5±2.1 vs. 3.8±1.7 cm, p＜0.001). Further, there was no significant difference in the number of lymph nodes retrieved between group 1 and group 2 (27.2±14.5 vs. 25.8±14.2, p=0.248). Conclusion. For selected patients, lymph node retrieval during laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection was adequate in the surgical cases at Lin Kou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. However, long-term follow-up examinations are required to show if there is any difference in local recurrence and survival between patients who undergo laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection and those who undergo conventional colorectal cancer resection.