Laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer

Surgical resection is the primary treatment for colon cancer. The introduction and acceptance of laparoscopic colectomy for cancer has been gradual for a number of reasons including the fact that it is technically challenging, has less than dramatic patient benefits, and perhaps most significantly it could theoretically represent a compromise as an oncologic procedure. Preliminary evidence suggests that laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer is safe, feasible, and can be performed with acceptable operative times and conversion rates. Furthermore, it may offer important patient-related advantages and the same extent of resection as in open surgery can be achieved. It may result in improved outcomes when performed by experienced surgeons. The early experience with high rates of wound recurrences has not been realized in current reports. Ongoing prospective, randomized trials should establish whether laparoscopic colectomy is as effective as open colectomy in preventing recurrence and death from colon cancer; until then this procedure is not considered standard for patients with curable colon cancer.