Laparoscopy-assisted versus open surgery for multiple colorectal cancers with two anastomoses: a cohort study

Laparoscopy-assisted surgery has been widely accepted in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility and outcomes of laparoscopy-assisted combined resection for multiple colorectal cancers in comparison to open surgery. We retrospectively reviewed patients with synchronous multiple colorectal cancers who underwent combined resection resulting in two anastomotic sites by either open or laparoscopy-assisted surgery in the University of Tokyo Hospital between April 2005 and March 2015. Nine patients underwent laparoscopic surgery using five ports, whereas 16 underwent open surgery. Blood loss was less (median 65 vs 295 mL, p = 0.0015), but the operative time was longer (median 429 vs 310 min, p = 0.09) in the laparoscopic surgery group than in the open surgery group. No intergroup difference was observed in the number of lymph nodes retrieved (median 32 vs 27, p = 0.50). The frequency of clinically significant postoperative complications was also similar between the two groups. Our results suggest that laparoscopy-assisted combined resection is an acceptable alternative to open surgery for multiple colorectal cancers.