Lymph Node Yield in Open vs. Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Observational Study

The aim of this study is to compare the lymph node yield between open and laparoscopic technique using 12 lymph node as standard for oncological resection. Laparoscopic surgery is standard treatment for colorectal cancer in the last decade of surgery’s history. Nowadays open surgery for CRC indicated only for certain cases. with evolving of laparoscopic instruments and adoption of laparoscopic and robotic techniques by new generation of surgeons open surgery started to vanish gradually as standard care in all world well equipped hospitals and centers . Short and long term advantages of laparoscopic approach manifested in it is minimum invasive technique and less sequelae of wound healing respectively, but in CRC surgical procedures staging and eradication of neoplasm have great impact in survival and morbidity outcome. This study compare laparoscopic with open surgical technique for CRC using lymph node yield as oncological determinant factor for prognosis and need for further treatment. The study support laparoscopic CRC procedure as it have better oncological outcome when compared to open procedure using lymph node yield as single oncological factor, certain cases like; T4 colorectal cancer, locally advanced tumour, medical conditions and obstructed CRC might need open procedure.