Extracorporeal versus intracorporeal anastomosis in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for cancer

Abstract

Introduction This study aimed at assessing the long-term oncological outcomes of intracorporeal ileocolic anastomosis (ICA) for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for colon cancer compared with extracorporeal anastomosis (ECA). Material and methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 149 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for colon cancer between January 2006 and December 2012. Results Eighty and 69 patients underwent intracorporeal and ECA, respectively. The two groups were demographically comparable. ICA exhibited a significantly shorter operative time (p < .0001), while local relapse and length of hospital stay did not significantly differ among the groups (p = .724 and .310, respectively). There was no significant difference in median number of retrieved lymph node. The overall survival and the disease-free survival at five years did not significantly differ among the groups. Conclusions Intracorporeal ICA can reduce operative time and is associated with similar postoperative and long-term oncological outcomes compared to the ECA technique.