Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2025
Clinical Application of Single-Surgeon, Three-Port, Laparoscopic Resection for Colorectal Cancer with Natural Orifice Specimen Extraction
Published on: March 24, 2023
Efficacy of left colic artery preservation with D3 lymph node dissection in laparoscopic surgery for advanced sigmoid
Hiroshi Maruta1, Tetsuro Tominaga2, Takashi Nonaka1
1Department of Surgical Oncology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8501, Japan.
Purpose:
For advanced left colon cancer, lymph node dissection at the root of the inferior mesenteric artery is recommended. Whether the left colic artery (LCA) should be preserved or resected remains contentious.
Methods:
The 367 patients who underwent laparoscopic sigmoidectomy or anterior resection and who were pathologically node-positive were reviewed. Patients were divided into LCA-preserving group (LCA-P, n = 60) and LCA-non-preserving group (LCA-NP, n = 307). Propensity score matching was applied to minimize selection bias and 59 patients were matched.
Results:
Before matching, the rates of poor performance status and cardiovascular disease were higher in the LCA-P group (p < 0.001). After matching, operation time was longer (276 vs. 240 min, p = 0.001), the frequency of splenic flexure mobilization (62.7% vs. 33.9%, p = 0.003) and lymphovascular invasion (84.7% vs. 55.9%, p = 0.001) was higher in the LCA-P group. Severe postoperative complications (CD ≥ 3) occurred only in the LCA-NP group (0% vs. 8.4%, p = 0.028). The median follow-up period was 38.5 months (range 2.0-70.0 months). The 5-year RFS rates (67.8% vs. 66.0%, p = 0.871) and OS rates (80.4% vs. 74.9%, p = 0.308) were comparable between the groups.
Conclusions:
Laparoscopic LCA-sparing surgery for left-sided colorectal cancer reduces the risk of severe complications and offers a favorable long-term prognosis.
