title: Treatment of rectal adenocarcinoma by laparoscopy and conventional route: a brazilian comparative study on operative time, postoperative complications, oncological radicality and survival.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare two surgical routes (laparoscopic and conventional) for the treatment of rectal cancer with regard to postoperative complications, oncological radicality and survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study of 84 patients with rectal cancer who were admitted to the Barretos Cancer Hospital between 2000 and 2003. Only individuals who underwent elective operations with curative intent were included. The surgical approach was subjectively chosen rather than by location of the tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The laparoscopic access was used by 50% of patients. There was no difference (P> 0.05) between the two groups regarding age, sex, topography, staging, neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment, number of dissected lymph nodes, size of surgical specimen, surgical margins, blood transfusions, postoperative complication rates, hospital stay and overall survival. Surgical time was longer in the laparoscopic group (median: 210x127, 5 min, P <0.001). A reduction in surgical time was noted with the increasing number of laparoscopies performed by the team (rho: -0.387, P = 0.020).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The laparoscopic and conventional routes, for the treatment of rectal cancer, were equivalent with respect to postoperative complications, oncological radicality and survival. However, the operative time was longer in the laparoscopic group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery of the Lower Digestive Tract, Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, SP, Brazil. agfmelani@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Armando Geraldo Franchini
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Melani
authors.forename: José Humberto Tavares Guerreiro
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Fregnani
authors.forename: Délcio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matos
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D001938:Brazil; D015331:Cohort Studies; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors