Adequate lymphadenectomy for colorectal cancer: a comparative analysis between open and laparoscopic surgery

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In the surgical treatment of colorectal cancer, a lymphadenectomy is considered adequate when at least 12 lymph nodes are removed. AIM: To evaluate whether videolaparoscopic surgery positively affects the rates of adequate lymphadenectomy. METHODS: An observational study was conducted with patients undergoing either open or videolaparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer between 2008 and 2013. The following variables were collected: gender, age, tumor site, histology, degree of differentiation, tumor stage, number of lymph nodes removed, and number of lymph nodes affected by the disease. RESULTS: A total of 62 patients with colorectal cancer were included; 42 (67.7%) received open surgery, and 20 (32.3%) laparoscopic surgery. Regarding lymphadenectomy, a mean of 13 lymph nodes (95% CI: 10-16) were removed in the group that received open surgery, while 19 lymph nodes were removed (95% CI: 14-24) in the laparoscopic surgery group (p=0.021). Adequate lymphadenectomy (removal of at least 12 lymph nodes) was achieved in 58.1% of the total cases, in 50.0% of the patients who received open surgery, and in 75% of those who received laparoscopic surgery. Non-elderly patients and those with an advanced disease stage were more likely to receive an adequate lymphadenectomy (p=0.004 and p=0.035, respectively). CONCLUSION: Disease stage and patient age were the factors that had the greatest influence on achieving an adequate lymphadenectomy. The type of surgery did not affect the number of lymph nodes removed.