Laparoscopic Versus Open Complete Mesocolic Excision With Central Vascular Ligation in Right Colon Cancer
Condition: Colon Cancer
MeSH terms: Colonic Neoplasms
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Right sided hemicolectomy is the standard type of operation for cancers in the caecum, the
      ascending colon.The aim of this study was to compare between laparoscopic and open complete
      mesocolic excision with central vascular ligation in right colon cancer.
    

Detailed description: 
      Colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates vary markedly around the world. Globally,
      colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and the second in
      females, with 1.65 million new cases and almost 835,000 deaths in 2015. Rates are
      substantially higher in males than in females.

      The right colon has a large caliber, a thin wall, and its contents are liquid; thus,
      obstruction is a late event. Bleeding is usually occult. Fatigue and weakness caused by
      severe anemia may be the only complaints. Tumors sometimes grow large enough to be palpable
      through the abdominal wall before other symptoms appear.

      Curative treatment for right colon cancer includes resection of the tumor-bearing bowel
      segment. There are standard types of operations, depending on the location of the tumor. The
      types of standard resections are based on the knowledge of lymphatic drainage and lymph node
      anatomy.

      Right sided hemicolectomy is the standard type of operation for cancers in the caecum, the
      ascending colon. In 2009, Hohenberger, a German scholar, proposed the term of complete
      mesocolic excision (CME), whose basic theory is mainly composed of two concepts in fetal
      anatomy and surgical oncology: sharp dissection of the mesocolic plane and the parietal
      plane. CME helps to keep the colonic mesentery intact, clarify the dissected area from
      central lymph nodes, emphasize the importance of transecting colon-feeding blood at the root,
      and increase the range of longitudinal enterotomy. Thus, CME provides a standardization of
      surgeries for colon cancer.

      Traditionally, approach to right colon cancer is through open exploration but this approach
      has more blood loss, prolonged postoperative hospital stay, sever postoperative pain and
      delayed recovery..

      Laparoscopic right colectomy (LRC) for colon cancer became a well-established technique in
      the surgical armamentarium of colorectal operations. It has well proved advantages: reduction
      in postoperative pain, time to return of bowel function, and length of hospital stay.

      The purpose of the present study was to compare between laparoscopic and open complete
      mesocolic excision with central vascular ligation in right colon cancer as regards technical
      feasibility, advantages and disadvantages of both procedures.

      This was prospective randomized study and was carried out on 60 patients diagnosed as
      operable right sided colon cancer and the patients will be divided into two groups:

      Group I: Open right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision with central vascular
      ligation.

      Group II: Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision with central
      vascular ligation.

      All patients were subjected to preoperative assessment in the form of:

        -  Full history.

        -  Clinical evaluation and body weight.

        -  Laboratory investigation (Complete blood picture, liver function tests, blood sugar,
           blood urea, serum creatinine, prothrombin time, serum albumin and tumour markers(.

        -  Imaging (chest X-ray, US abdomen, CT abdomen and pelvis).

        -  Histopathology diagnosis (endoscopic biopsy, tissue diagnosis).

      Operative technique

      In patients of group I:

        -  A standard mechanical bowel preparation will be performed 24 hours before operation.

        -  The patient will be placed in the supine position and the operation will be carried out
           in a standard manner.

        -  A midline incision of about 15 to 20 cm will be made.

        -  The right-sided colon will be mobilized before mesenteric division and the same vessels
           will be dissected frequently.

        -  Ileotransverse end-to-end hand anastomosis is operated and the mesenteric defect will be
           closed.

      In patients of group II:

        -  A standard mechanical bowel preparation will be performed 24 hours before the operation.

        -  A high-definition laparoscope will be used.

        -  Under general anaesthesia the operation is carried out in standard manner, with the
           patient in a modified lithotomy position.

        -  After achieving pneumoperitoneum (12 mm Hg), a 12-mm trocar will be placed through an
           incision just above the umbilicus, and a 30-degree laparoscope will be inserted through
           the 12-mm trocar. The second 10-mm trocar will be inserted at the upper left quadrant of
           the abdomen for the major acting port. The third 5-mm trocar will be inserted at the
           lower left quadrant for the second major active port. The fourth and fifth 5-mm trocars
           will be inserted at the upper right and lower right quadrants.

        -  According to laparoscopic procedure, the position, composition, and spatial
           relationships of the surgery planes needed for laparoscopic complete mesocolic excision
           for right sided colic cancer cases are identified.

      Intraoperatively, all patients will be assessed for:

        -  Time of the procedure.

        -  Amount of blood loss.

      Postoperative follow up:

      Patients will be followed up by the standardized follow up protocol. They will be examined by
      the outpatient setting after:

        -  2 weeks (post-operative) for: wound infection, leakage, pathological outcome (The tumor
           node metastasis (TNM) stage, histologic grade of differentiation, number of harvested
           lymph nodes, lymphovascular invasion, estimation of resection margins).

        -  Every 3 months for 1-2 years by: history taking, physical examination, carcinoembryonic
           antigen measurement,

        -  Every 6 months for 1-2 years by: chest, abdomen-pelvic computed tomography for detection
           of local or systemic recurrence.
    

Intervention name(s): Surgery
Intervention type(s): Procedure
Intervention description(s): laparoscopic and open complete mesocolic excision with central vascular ligation in right colon cancer.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Right colon cancer; Mesocolic excision