Effect of postoperative complications on 5-year survival following laparoscopic surgery for resectable colorectal cancer: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of postoperative complications on long-term survival after laparoscopic surgery for resectable colorectal cancer.

METHODS

We retrospectively included 204 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer from January 2016 to June 2020.

RESULTS

Overall, 68 (33.3%) patients had postoperative complications, twelve (17.6%) of which were classified as Clavien-Dindo class 3a or higher. The 5-year overall survival rate of the non-complication and complication groups were 93.0% and 81.7%, respectively (p = 0.048; Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test), and those among patients with stage III disease were 87.0% and 61.3%, respectively (p = 0.045). The 5-year disease-free survival rates were 85.6% and 77.4%, respectively (p = 0.042). Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards analysis revealed that nodal stage (hazard ratio, 8.392; 95% confidence interval, 1.892-37.175; p = 0.005) was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival, and postoperative complications (hazard ratio, 2.996; 95% confidence interval, 1.076-8.340; p = 0.036) were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative complications were associated with poor oncological outcomes, especially among patients with stage III colorectal cancer, and independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival.