title: Laparoscopic Surgery for Transverse Colon Cancer: Short- and Long-Term Outcomes in Comparison with Conventional Open Surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Published studies on laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer are scarce. More studies are necessary to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April 1996 to December 2010, 102 consecutive patients with stage II or III disease who had undergone curative resection for transverse colon cancer were enrolled. Seventy-nine patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted colectomy (LAC), whereas 23 patients underwent conventional open colectomy (OC). Short- and long-term outcomes of the two groups were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The OC group had a larger tumor size (7.6 ± 3.4 cm versus 5.2 ± 2.3 cm, P = .004) and more retrieved lymph nodes (26.4 ± 11.6 versus 17.5 ± 9.4, P = .002), without differences in resection margins. In the LAC group, return to diet was faster (4.5 ± 1.2 days versus 5.4 ± 1.8 days, P = .013), and postoperative hospital stay was shorter (12.1 ± 4.2 days versus 15.9 ± 4.8 days, P = .000). There were no differences in occurrence of intra- or postoperative complications. There were no statistically significant differences in overall survival rate (OS) or disease-free survival rate (DFS) between the two groups (5-year OS, 90.4% versus 90.5%, P = .670; 5-year DFS, 84.2% versus 90.7%, P = .463).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer has better short-term outcomes compared with open surgery, with acceptable long-term outcomes. As in colorectal cancer of other sites, laparoscopic surgery can be a feasible alternative to conventional surgery for transverse colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Ki
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae-Youn
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Won
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Kwon
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Kyung
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, St. Vincent Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Bong-Hyeon
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kye
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, St. Vincent Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeon-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, St. Vincent Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea , Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Gi
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods*; D044684:Colon, Transverse / Q000601:surgery*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome