Long-term Results in Intracorporeal Versus Extracorporeal Anastomosis in Laparoscopic Right Colectomy

Overview

Advantages of laparoscopic right colectomy with intracorporeal anastomosis (IA) compared to extracorporeal anastomosis (EA) are widely studied. Nowadays we can conclude, with a high level of scientific evidence, that there are a number of short-term clinical advantages of laparoscopic right colectomy with intracorporeal anastomosis (IA). However, there is currently no randomized studies describing long-term clinical and oncological outcomes.

Background: Little evidence has been published demonstrating the advantages of IA versus EA. Recent publications show the superiority of IA in terms of early functional digestive recovery, a shorter surgical incision, a lower need for analgesia, lower blood loss, and lower postoperative Clavien-Dindo grade. These results are similar to other further published studies, including multicenter randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses. Methods: This is a a long-term clinical follow-up study of 140 patients included preaviously in the single-blind single-center randomized prospective clinical trial conducted at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (HSCSP) between 2015-2018; in which 30-day clinical outcomes after laparoscopic right colectomy for colon cancer with IA vs EA anastomosis were compared. In this new trial, prospective clinical follow-up of the included 140 patients, randomized in two groups IA and EA, will be carried out, with a minimum time of 3 years. The main objective of the study will be: -Comparing long-term oncological outcomes of IA vs. EA anastomosis in laparoscopic right colectomy for malignant neoplasm. The secondary objectives will be: * Analyzing the appearance of abdominal wall hernias and episodes of occlusion. * Describing the direct costs of both techniques retrospectively, through the financial records of the HSCSP institution. The main hypothesis will be: -IA is not inferior compared to EA in terms of oncological and clinical results, with a lower rate of abdominal postoperative hernias and occlusive/subocclusive episodes. A regular prospective clinical follow-up through periodic medical visits and complementary tests established by the criteria of the Colorectal Cancer management protocol (document agreed by the HSCSP Colorectal Tumors Committee) will be conducted. For the economic evaluation, all direct in-hospital costs that were registered by the HSCSP management will be analysed. Extensive written information and an informed consent about the study will be provided to the patient. The study does not entail any risk for the patient as it does not interfere with the usual follow-up or require extraordinary complementary studies.