Surgical stress response and postoperative immune function after laparoscopy or open surgery with fast track or standard perioperative care: a randomized trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of laparoscopic or open colectomy with fast track or standard perioperative care on patient's immune status and stress response after surgery.

Methods: Patients with nonmetastasized colon cancer were randomized to laparoscopic or open colectomy with fast track or standard care. Blood samples were taken preoperatively (baseline), and 1, 2, 24, and 72 hours after surgery. Systemic HLA-DR expression, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, growth hormone, prolactin, and cortisol were analyzed.

Results: Nineteen patients were randomized for laparoscopy and fast track care (LFT), 23 for laparoscopy and standard care (LS), 17 for open surgery and fast track care (OFT), and 20 for open surgery and standard care (OS). Patient characteristics were comparable. Mean HLA-DR was 74.8 in the LFT group, 67.1 in the LS group, 52.8 in the OFT group, and 40.7 in the OS group. Repeated-measures 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed this can be attributed to type of surgery and not aftercare (P = 0.002). Interleukin-6 levels were highest in the OS group. Repeated-measures 2-way ANOVA showed this can be attributed to type of surgery and not aftercare (P = 0.001). C-reactive protein levels were highest in the OS group. Following repeated-measures 2-way ANOVA, this can be attributed to type of surgery and not aftercare (P = 0.022). Growth hormone was lowest in the LFT group. Following repeated-measures 2-way ANOVA, this can be attributed to type of aftercare and not to type of surgery (P = 0.033). No differences between the groups were seen regarding prolactin or cortisol. No differences in (infectious) complication rates were observed between the groups.

Conclusions: This randomized trial showed that immune function of HLA-DR in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery with fast track care remains highest. This can be attributed to type of surgery and not aftercare. These results may indicate a reason for the accelerated recovery of patients treated laparoscopically within a fast track program as described in the LAparoscopy and/or FAst track multimodal management versus standard care (LAFA-Trial) (www.trialregister.nl, protocol NTR222).