Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision: early and late results.

Background: Laparoscopic colectomy is superior to open colectomy in terms of short-term surgical outcomes. There is solid evidence indicating that laparoscopic and open surgery are equally effective for colon cancer, but for rectal cancer, the issues of neoadjuvant treatment, the need for total mesorectal excision and autonomic nerve preservation, and the technical demands of a well-constructed low colorectal or coloanal anastomosis challenge even the most specialized surgeons. This review discusses the available evidence on short-term and long-term outcomes after laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer.

Data Sources: Systematic MEDLINE and Embase searches of outcomes on laparoscopic total mesorectal excision were conducted and data were retrieved.

Conclusions: Information on short-term and long-term outcomes after laparoscopic total mesorectal excision remains limited. Data are mainly retrospective and from randomized studies based on few cases that had minimal follow-up. Early non-oncologic surgical outcomes seem improved after laparoscopy, but an increased rate of positive circumferential resection margins has been detected. Though scarce, the available evidence on recurrence and survival does not indicates disadvantages to the laparoscopic approach.