According to the randomized trial published in Lancet Oncology, laparoscopic surgery could be safely employed for radical resection of cancer in the right, left, and sigmoid colon. The multicenter COLOR (COlon cancer Laparoscopic or Open Resection) trial had explored the short-term benefits of laparoscopic colectomy for cancer as against open surgery.
627 patients had been assigned to laparoscopic surgery and 621 patients to open surgery by random selection. The endpoint was calculated in terms of primary and secondary outcomes. Primary endpoint was measured in terms of a cancer-free survival 3 years after surgery. Short-term morbidity and mortality, number of positive resection margins, local recurrence, port-site or wound-site recurrence, metastasis, overall survival, and blood loss during surgery were the criteria to measure the secondary outcomes.The results of the trial showed that laparoscopic surgery took 30 minutes longer time than for the open surgery. 91 patients belonging to the laproscopic group needed shift to the open surgery group. Further, there was less blood loss in the laproscopic procedure as compared to the open surgery.
Further points in favor of laparoscopic surgery were that the patients in this group had earlier recovery of bowel function and shorter hospital stay. In addition this group needed fewer analgesics as compared to the patients in the open surgery group. The length of the bowel resected , morbidity and mortality in 28 days period after the surgery did not differ between two groups.
