Comparing cranial-caudal-medial and medial–lateral approaches for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: a propensity score-matched analysis

The cranial-caudal-medial approach (CCMA) has been proposed for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy nowadays. This study aimed to investigate the safety and oncological efficacy of CCMA in the treatment of right-sided colon cancer compared to the medial–lateral approach (MLA). Patients diagnosed with right-sided colon cancer were included from February 2015 to June 2018, retrospectively, dividing into the CCMA group and the MLA group. We compared the basic characteristics and the short-term and long-term outcomes in two groups. Two hundred and ninety-six patients were included in this study. The baseline characteristics were similar in two groups. Compared with MLA group, CCMA group exhibited shorter operation time (136.3 ± 25.3 min vs. 151.6 ± 21.5 min, P < 0.001), lower estimated blood loss (44.1 ± 15.2 ml vs. 51.4 ± 26.9 min, P = 0.010), and more harvested lymph nodes (18.5 ± 7.1 vs. 16.5 ± 5.7, P = 0.021). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate for the CCMA group was 76.5%, and the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 72.3%, both of which were not inferior to the MLA group. No significant difference was found between two groups in terms of other clinical parameters. The CCMA in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy is safe and feasible, making the anatomical plane clearer. This approach can shorten the operation time, reduce intraoperative blood loss, harvest more lymph nodes, and yield satisfactory oncological outcomes.