Quality of Life and Severity of Symptom Differences Between Post Open Colectomy and Laparoscopic Colectomy in Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Background: Worldwide, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and the second in women. The main surgical methods for colorectal cancer patients include a conventional open colectomy and laparoscopic-assisted colectomy. Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy is associated with less blood loss, faster recovery of bowel function, and shorter hospital stays.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life and symptom severity in patients with colorectal cancer 1 month after conventional open colectomy or laparoscopic-assisted colectomy.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study design was conducted from September 2015 to May 2016. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling from the surgical outpatient department of a medical center in Northern Taiwan; 33 patients underwent each type of surgery.

Results: The laparoscopic-assisted colectomy group scored 9.39 points higher in quality of life and lower in symptom severity by 14.88 points than the conventional open colectomy group (P = .03 and P = .05, respectively). Both groups reported low symptom severity; "changes in bowel habits" was the symptom with the highest severity. The conventional open colectomy group had higher insomnia and worried about their future more than did the laparoscopic-assisted colectomy group.

Conclusions: Patients who received the laparoscopic-assisted colectomy procedure reported a better quality of life and lower symptom severity than those who received the conventional open colectomy surgical method.

Implications For Practice: Patients who will have a conventional open colectomy will likely need enhanced management of symptoms and attention to their quality of life.