Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Clinical Application of Single-Surgeon, Three-Port, Laparoscopic Resection for Colorectal Cancer with Natural Orifice Specimen Extraction
Published on: March 24, 2023
Comparison of Survival Among Adults With Rectal Cancer Who Have Undergone Laparoscopic vs Open Surgery: A
Meng Kong1,2, Hongyuan Chen1,2, Keshu Shan1,2
1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
Importance:
Two large randomized clinical trials (RCTs) found that laparoscopic surgery failed to yield noninferior pathologic outcomes compared with open surgery for patients with rectal cancer. The results raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of the laparoscopic approach for patients with rectal cancer.
Objective:
To compare the long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic and open surgery for patients with rectal cancer.
Data Sources:
PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from database inception to August 13, 2021. Studies published in English were retrieved.
Study Selection:
The meta-analysis included RCTs that compared laparoscopic surgery with open surgery for patients with rectal cancer and reported the outcome of disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS). The following exclusion criteria were used: (1) non-RCTs, (2) studies without long-term survival outcomes of interest, and (3) studies that did not report Kaplan-Meier survival curves.
Data Extraction And Synthesis:
This meta-analysis was performed in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses reporting guideline for individual participant data development groups. Individual participant data on DFS and OS were extracted from the published Kaplan-Meier survival curves. One-stage and 2-stage meta-analyses were performed.
Main Outcomes And Measures:
Meta-analyses were conducted for DFS and OS. Hazard ratios (HRs) were used as effective measures.
Results:
Of 8471 records screened, 10 articles with 12 RCTs and 3709 participants were selected. The reconstructed survival curves for the combined population showed that the 5-year estimated DFS rates were 72.2% (95% CI, 69.4%-74.8%) for the laparoscopic group and 70.1% (95% CI, 67.0%-73.0%) for the open surgery group, and the 5-year estimated OS rates were 76.2% (95% CI, 73.8%-78.5%) for the laparoscopic group and 72.7% (95% CI, 69.8%-75.3%) for open surgery group. In 1-stage meta-analyses, DFS had a nonsignificant HR of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.80-1.06; P = .26), which suggested that DFS in the laparoscopic and open surgery groups was comparable; however, OS was significantly better in the laparoscopic group (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.97; P = .02). The results were confirmed by 2-stage meta-analyses and were validated by sensitivity analysis with large RCTs.
Conclusions And Relevance:
A similar DFS but significantly better OS were found for patients who have undergone laparoscopic surgery compared with open surgery for rectal cancer. These findings address concerns regarding the effectiveness of laparoscopic surgery and support the routine use of laparoscopic surgery for patients with rectal cancer.
More Related Videos
12:45Robot-assisted Total Mesorectal Excision and Lateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection for Locally Advanced Middle-low Rectal Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2022
03:32Single Incision Plus One Port Laparoscopic Proximal Gastrectomy with Double Channel Anastomosis for Gastric Cancer Treatment
Published on: December 27, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Comparing the Survival Analysis of Two or More Groups
Endoscopic Procedures IV: Sigmoidoscopy and Laproscopy
Sigmoidoscopy
Sigmoidoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that uses a flexible sigmoidoscope equipped with a light source and camera to examine the rectum and sigmoid colon. The procedure involves inserting the tube through the anus...