Single-incision or Single-incision Plus One-Port Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) and single-incision plus one-port laparoscopic surgery (SILS+1) for colorectal cancer are considered to require long operative times, experienced surgeons, and advanced surgical techniques. However, these procedures are advantageous because they require both fewer ports and fewer surgeons.

In the SILS procedure for colon cancer, a Lap Protector™ (LP; Hakkou Shoji, Japan) is inserted through a 2.5 cm transumbilical incision. Next, an EZ-Access (Hakkou Shoji, Japan) is mounted onto the LP, and three ports are made in the EZ-Access. In SILS+1 for rectal cancer, we use an extra incision in the lower quadrant for drainage from the beginning of the operation. Data from 849 patients who underwent elective surgery with SILS or SILS+1 for colorectal cancer were reviewed.

In 808 patients who underwent a reduced-port procedure for colorectal cancer, the mean incision length was 2.91 cm. The average operative time was 198.2 minutes, and average intra-operative blood loss was 25.6 mL. Complications with a Clavien-Dindo classification of II or greater occurred in 63 patients (7.2%). Among 654 stage I-III colorectal cancer patients, 69 (10.6%) experienced postoperative relapse during the follow-up period of 42 months.

Our cumulative findings support the use of SILS or SILS+1 in patients with colorectal cancer. The long-term oncologic outcomes make them acceptable technical alternatives to conventional multiport laparoscopic colectomy. Further trials are still needed to fully document the non-cosmetic benefits.