Researchers at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) have confirmed laparoscopic surgery after self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) treatment is safe in treating colorectal cancer patients with intestinal obstruction.

SEMS implantation in obstructive colorectal cancer is a useful treatment tool that effectively resolves intestinal obstruction, lowers the risk of emergency surgery, and enables surgery after improving the patient's general condition.

However, there has been little research on the role of laparoscopic surgery after successful stent placement.

The team, led by Professor Oh Heung-kwon, compared and analyzed two groups -- 97 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery after stent insertion because of obstructive colon cancer ranging from spleen curvature to upper rectum, and 82 patients who underwent laparotomy -- at five tertiary medical institutions from July 2002 to December 2011.

As a result of the analysis, the team confirmed no significant difference between the two groups as the five-year survival rate was 79.1 percent in the laparoscopic surgery group and 69 percent in the open surgery group.

"The results prove the long-term safety for continuing laparoscopic surgery after stent insertion," the team said.

However, as preservative chemotherapy after surgery acts as a statistically important variable for patients' survival, the team stressed that conservative chemotherapy could reduce recurrence regardless of the surgical method in advanced colon cancer.

"In the past, colorectal cancer patients with bowel obstruction often performed emergency resection without cleaning the intestine," Professor Oh said. "Therefore, physicians could not perform anastomosis at the same time."

Also, since the intestine was swollen, it was difficult to secure the field of view, leading many doctors to perform laparotomy, he added.

Oh stressed that if hospitals perform stent insertion first, they can first widen the bowel to help bowel movements, stabilize the large intestine, and then perform safe surgery.

"As we have confirmed the long-term safety of laparoscopic surgery through this study, we expect that the application of laparoscopic surgery will increase for colorectal cancer with intestinal obstruction," he said.

Surgical Endoscopy published the results of the study in its January edition.