HAND-ASSISTED LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY FOR THE CANCER OF THE LEFT COLON AND RECTUM - AN IDEAL OPTION OF MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY? SINGLE CENTRE EXPERIENCE WITH 459 CASES

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE. Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) has been introduced into clinical practice almost three decades ago, very soon after the introduction of conventional laparoscopic surgery. It combines the advantages of both laparoscopic (minimally invasive) and open surgery. Despite a good piece of data in the medical literature, the clear place of this kind of laparoscopic surgery today is not easy to delineate. Our study aimed to review single centre experience in treating patients with left colon and rectal cancers using HALS. METHODS. This study was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of 459 patients undergoing hand assisted laparoscopic colorectal surgery for left colon and rectal cancer, in a single tertiary care institution, National Cancer Institute, from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2016. All consented patient with confirmed invasive cancer of left colon and rectum undergoing HALS were included in the analysis. RESULTS. The patients’ mean age was 64.14±9.75 years. Female and male ratio was similar: 232 (50,5 %) versus 227 (49,5 %). The mean length of postoperative hospital stay was 6.7 (from 2 to 34) days. There were 5 (1,1 %) conversions to open surgery. Histological examination revealed mean lymph node harvest to be 15 ± 12, ranging from 8 to 90. Stage I, II and III cancer was similar in distribution accounting for 133 (28,9%), 139 (30,3 %), 151 (32,9 %) patients respectively and 36 (7,8 %)patients with stage IV. 244 (53,2) of patients underwent surgery for the cancer of the left colon (sigmoid colectomy or left hemicolectomy), and 215 (46,8 %) patients underwent surgery for rectal cancer. Postoperative complications occurred in 28 (6.1 %) patients, eight of them (1,7 %) needed reintervention (laparotomy) because of anastomotic insufficiency and intraabdominal abscesses. Two (0,4 %) patients died during 30 day postoperative period. CONCLUSION. In our experience, HALS was very reliable andfeasible minimally invasive surgical technique for the cancers of left colon and rectum, related with short learning curve and excellent oncological clearance, short operating time and low number of postoperative complications. It may be used as a standard approachfor this type of pathology, or as a safe bridge from open to conventional laparoscopic surgery.

laparoscopic colectomy, hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery, conventional laparoscopic surgery, colorectal cancer

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