Laparoscopic surgery for anorectal malignancies other than carcinoma

Numerous concerns have been raised relative to the appropriateness of laparoscopic surgery for cure of rectal adenocarcinomas. However, because of their rarity, little information exists about the role of laparoscopy for other anorectal malignancies. We report the outcome of five patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for other anorectal malignancies.

All patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for treatment of non-carcinomatous anorectal malignancy were assessed by means of endoscopic, radiological and histopathologic diagnostic tests.

Two patients with anorectal melanoma and one with anal leiomyosarcoma underwent laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection. A laparoscopic loop ileostomy was performed for an HIV-positive patient with rectal Kaposi's sarcoma. Another patient with anorectal melanoma had intraoperative identification of distant liver metastasis and therefore underwent diagnostic laparoscopy instead of an intended abdominoperineal resection. There were no intraoperative laparoscopic complications. During the follow-up period three patients who underwent abdominoperineal resection were alive, one of whom had rectal melanoma and developed liver metastasis without local recurrence. The two patients with distant liver metastasis and rectal Kaposi's sarcoma died 46 days and five months after surgery, respectively. There were no port-site or local recurrences.

Laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection for non-carcinomatous anorectal malignancies is technically feasible and avoids many of the concerns associated with attempted curative laparoscopic resection of carcinoma.