Comparative study of short-and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted versus open rectal cancer resection during and after the learning curve period

Abstract

Laparoscopic-assisted rectal resection (LAR) has been widely used to treat rectal cancer. However, it has a steep learning curve. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the learning curve on the outcomes of LAR. All consecutive patients with rectal cancer undergoing LAR or open resection (OR) between 2010 and 2015 were included in this retrospective analysis. The learning curve was determined, and patients were divided into 2 phases: the learning curve and the expert period. The short-term perioperative data in the 2 phases and the long-term survival in the learning phase were compared between the LAR and OR groups. A total of 491 patients were included in this study. Inflection of the learning curve based on the operation time of LAR was at the 40th case. A total of 233 patients underwent surgery (112 LAR and 121 OR) during the learning period. In this period, LAR had a longer operation time, less blood loss, and a higher total cost (all P