Purpose: The aim of this study was to critically review the current evidence regarding the oncologic outcomes after laparoscopic converted or open resection for colorectal cancer.
Materials and methods: A literature search was performed in Pubmed. Study selection and data acquisition were independently performed by 2 reviewers.
Results: The search strategy yielded a total of 746 articles, resulting in 7 studies eligible for inclusion. A total of 9190 (57 to 8307) patients were included in the open and 238 (17 to 56) in the converted group. In none of the studies, differences were found in disease stage between both groups. There were no significant differences between both groups with regard to overall survival, local recurrence and distant metastasis rate.
Conclusions: There is currently insufficient evidence that patients who had a laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer converted to open surgery have a worse oncologic outcome than patients who were primarily treated by an open approach.