Long-term outcomes of single-incision plus one-port laparoscopic surgery versus conventional laparoscopic surgery for rectosigmoid cancer: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Though our previous study has demonstrated that the single-incision plus one-port laparoscopic surgery (SILS + 1) is safe and feasible for sigmoid colon and upper rectal cancer and has better short-term outcomes compared with conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS), the long-term outcomes of SILS + 1 remains uncertain and are needed to evaluated by an RCT. Methods: Patients with clinical stage T1-4aN0-2M0 rectosigmoid cancer were enrolled. The participants were randomly assigned to either SILS + 1 (n = 99) or CLS (n = 99). The 3-year DFS, 5-year OS, and recurrence patterns were analyzed. Results: Between April 2014 and July 2016, 198 patients were randomly assigned to either the SILS + 1 group (n = 99) or CLS group (n = 99). The median follow-up in the SILS + 1 group was 64.0 months and in CLS group was 65.0 months. The 3-year DFS was 87.8% (95% CI, 81.6–94.8%) in SILS + 1 group and 86.9% (95% CI, 81.3–94.5%) in CLS group (hazard ratio: 1.09 (95% CI, 0.48–2.47; P = 0.84)). The 5-year OS was 86.7% (95% CI,79.6–93.8%) in the SILS + 1 group and 80.5% (95% CI,72.5–88.5%) in the CLS group (hazard ratio: 1.53 (95% CI, 0.74–3.18; P = 0.25)). There were no significant differences in the recurrence patterns between the two groups. Conclusions: We found no significant difference in 3-year DFS and 5-year OS of patients with sigmoid colon and upper rectal cancer treated with SILS + 1 vs. CLS. SILS + 1 is noninferior to CLS when performed by expert surgeons. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02117557 (registered on 21/04/2014).