title: Meta-analysis of short-term outcomes after laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopic resection (LR) has become increasingly popular for the management of rectal cancer. Despite a decade of experience, the safety and efficacy of LR for rectal cancer remains to be established. This report performs a meta-analysis to compare LR with conventional open resection (CR) in patients with rectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a defined search strategy, studies directly comparing CR with LR for rectal cancer were identified. The data for patients with rectal cancer treated with both approaches were extracted and used in our meta-analysis. Open surgery and laparoscopic surgery were compared in terms of postoperative mortality, morbidity, complications, oncological clearance, operating time, and time before recovery to a normal diet.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with CR, LR is associated with lower morbidity rates [OR 0.63 (0.41, 1.96) P=0.03], longer operating times [weighted mean difference 1.59 (1.20, 1.98) P<0.00001], similar mortality rates, wound healing disorder rates, urinary disorder rates, cardiopulmony disease rates, all leakage rates, all abscess rates and a positive rate of margin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LR is associated with less postoperative morbidity, but longer operation time. A prospective randomized controlled trial is warranted to fully investigate these and other outcome measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Coloproctological Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yun-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Li-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D003289:Convalescence; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome