Similar survival in laparoscopic and open liver surgery in metastatic colon cancer

Researchers from Oslo University Hospital in Norway studied 280 patients with resectable colorectal liver metastases to compare open versus laparoscopic surgical approaches with respect to 5-year survival outcomes. This is the first randomized controlled trial comparing the two approaches and short-term results of this trial were already published. The patients were randomly assigned to have either laparoscopic surgery or open surgery and the researchers compared survival without cancer recurrence at 5 years between the two groups. They found no difference in survival between the laparoscopic and open approaches. The researchers suggest that since the laparoscopic approach does not jeopardize oncologic outcomes and may provide better short-term outcomes when applied in ideal conditions, both surgical options should be discussed with appropriate patients

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-4011