Aim: : The safety and efficacy of single-incision laparoscopic resections for patients with stage IV colorectal cancer have not been examined explicitly. This article describes our experience with single-incision laparoscopic procedures for patients with stage IV colorectal cancer.
Methods: Seventy-seven patients who underwent single-incision laparoscopic colectomy between August 2010 and January 2012 were investigated retrospectively. Eleven patients were in clinical stage IV (ST4 group) and were compared with 66 patients in clinical stages 0 to III (control group).
Results: There were no differences in the intraoperative and the postoperative complications, the 30-day mortality rate, the number of the lymph nodes harvested, and the duration of postoperative hospital stay between the 2 groups.
Conclusions: Our initial experiences suggested that single-incision laparoscopic colectomy is feasible for stage IV colon cancer patients. This is a good start comparing the outcomes of single-incision colectomy in stage IV patients with open and traditional laparoscopic colectomy.