Short-Term Outcomes for Laparoscopic Surgery for BMI≥30 Patients with Rectal Cancer

Obesity is known to be a preoperative risk factor for rectal cancer surgery. This study aimed to investigate the influence of obesity on the surgical outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer.

The clinical data of 356 patients with rectal cancer from Jan 2012 to Dec 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. Perioperative outcomes were compared between 48 patients with a BMI (body mass index) ≥30 kg/m2 [obese group ] and 308 patients with a BMI≥30 kg/m2 [non-obese group] who underwent laparoscopic surgery.

Operation times were significantly longer for the obese group than for the non-obese group (125.2±30.5 min vs. 180.5±58.2 min, P=0.021). There were no statistically significant differences between two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss, the number of retrieved lymph nodes, postoperative recovery and postoperative complications (P≥0.05). During the follow-up period, the overall survival rates were not significantly different between the two groups [66.7% (32/48) vs 67.2% (207/308), P=0.787]. The differences in recurrence and metastasis between the two groups were not statistically significant.

Our analysis revealed that laparoscopic surgery can be safely performed in patients with BMI≥30. The procedure was considered to be difficult but sufficiently feasible.