Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer in Patients on Hemodialysis: A Propensity Score-matched Analysis

Surgery on hemodialysis patients requires special attention, as the tissue of these patients is vulnerable and hemorrhagic. This study explored the feasibility of laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer in hemodialysis patients.

This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer in a single institute from April 2007 to December 2016.

A total of 2668 patients were included: 24 (0.9%) were on hemodialysis, and 2644 (99.1%) were not. After 1:1 propensity score matching, there were no significant differences in the short-term postoperative results, the disease-free survival rate (p=0.0813) or the cancer-specific survival rate (p=0.555). However, the overall survival rate was significantly lower in hemodialysis patients than in non-hemodialysis patients (p=0.0135).

Standard laparoscopic operative procedures can be safely performed for hemodialysis patients, and there was no marked difference in the long-term oncological outcomes between the two groups.