***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: OBJECTIVE To assess the advantage and disadvantage of laparoscopic abdomino-perineal resection and open abdominoperineal resection for low rectal cancer . METHODS Patients with low rectal cancer , collected from July 2003 to April 2006 , were r and omly divided into  laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection group ( 37 cases ) and open abdominoperineal resection group ( 37 cases ) .  Operation time , number of lymph node removed , intra-operative blood loss , time to pass flatus , time to ambulate , time to discharge , complications , early recurrence , and economical cost were compared between the 2 groups . RESULTS All patients were performed successfully . For the first 10 patients , operation time of laparoscopic group was significantly longer than that of open group , but there was no significant difference between the 2 groups . Intra-operative blood loss of laparoscopic group was significantly less than that of open group , but it was reverse for the first 10 patients . There was no significant difference in time to pass flatus between the 2 groups . Time to ambulate in laparoscopic group was significantly earlier than that in open group . There was no significant difference in time to discharge between the 2 groups , but it was earlier for perineum closure in laparoscopic group . Relative complications of laparoscopic group , including pulmonary infection , abdominal wound infection or split , were significantly less than those of open group . There was no significant difference in number of lymph nodes removed , early recurrence between the 2 groups . Operation cost of laparoscopic group was significantly higher than that of open group , but there was no significant difference . CONCLUSION Advantages of laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection were characterized for not only minimal invasion and good cosmetic outcome but also less blood loss , complications , and earlier postoperative recovery . The operation time , total costs and oncological clearance of laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection patients were comparable with those of open procedure patients OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection compared to conventional approach for surgical treatment of patients with distal rectal cancer presenting with incomplete response after chemoradiation . METHOD Twenty eight patients with distal rectal adenocarcinoma were r and omized to undergo surgical treatment by laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection or conventional approach and evaluated prospect ively . Thirteen underwent laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection  and 15  conventional approach . RESULTS There was no significant difference ( p<0,05 ) between the two studied groups regarding : gender , age , body mass index , patients with previous abdominal surgeries , intra and post operative complications , need for blood transfusion , hospital stay after surgery , length of resected segment and pathological staging . Mean operation time was 228 minutes for the laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection versus 284 minutes for the conventional approach ( p=0.04 ) . Mean anesthesia duration was shorter ( p=0.03 ) for laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection when compared to conventional approach : 304 and 362 minutes , respectively . There was no need for conversion to open approach in this series . After a mean follow-up of 47.2 months and with the exclusion of two patients in the conventional abdominoperineal resection who presented with unsuspected synchronic metastasis during surgery , local recurrence was observed in two patients in the conventional group and in none in the laparoscopic group . CONCLUSIONS We conclude that laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection is feasible , similar to conventional approach concerning surgery duration , intra operative morbidity , blood requirements and post operative morbidity . Larger number of cases and an extended follow-up are required to adequate evaluation of oncological results for patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection after chemoradiation for radical treatment of distal rectal cancer Purpose This study evaluated differences in stress response and immunological function following laparoscopic and conventional total mesorectal excision ( TME ) for rectal cancer . Methods Patients with non-metastasized rectal cancer were prospect ively r and omized to open ( n = 18 ) or laparoscopic ( n = 22 ) TME .  Blood sample s were taken preoperatively ( baseline ) , 2 , 24 , and 72 h following surgery . Systemic white blood cell and monocyte count , C-reactive protein , interleukin-6 ( IL-6 ) , interleukin-8 ( IL-8 ) , HLA-DR expression on monocytes , growth hormone , prolactin , and cortisol were measured . Results Forty patients with a median age of 66 years ( interquartile range , 60–74 years ) were included . Eighteen patients ( 45 % ) were r and omized to  open surgery and 22 patients ( 55 % ) to laparoscopic surgery . Patient demographics in terms of gender , age , BMI , ASA classification , localization of the tumor , and type of neoadjuvant therapy were comparable for both groups . Laparoscopic surgery result ed in a significantly better short-term preservation of postoperative immune function . HLA-DR expression on monocytes was significantly higher ( 64 % vs 50 % , P = 0.014 ) and IL-6 level increase was significantly lower ( 4.6 vs 10.8 , P = 0.003 ) 2 h after laparoscopic surgery . No differences between the open and laparoscopic technique were observed in postoperative white blood cell count , monocyte count , C-reactive protein , IL-8 , growth hormone , prolactin , and cortisol levels . ConclusionS hort-term postoperative immune and inflammatory functions tended to be better after laparoscopic rectal surgery . However , the differences were not consistent at all time intervals , making a definitive conclusion difficult . Better preserved inflammatory function 2 h after surgery may reflect a reduction in operative trauma when the laparoscopic technique is compared with open rectal procedures Purpose This study was design ed to evaluate the impact of  laparoscopic rectal resection  on short-term postoperative morbidity and costs . Methods A total of 168 patients with rectal cancer were r and omly assigned to laparoscopic ( n = 83 ) or open ( n = 85 ) resection . Outcome parameters were : postoperative morbidity , length of hospital stay , quality of life , long-term survival , and local recurrences . The mean follow-up period was 53.6 months . Cost-benefit analysis was based on hospital costs . Results Operative time was 53 minutes longer in the laparoscopic group ( P < 0.0001 ) . Postoperative morbidity rate was 28.9 percent in the laparoscopic vs. 40 percent in the open group ( P = 0.18 ) . The mean length of hospital stay was 10 ( 4.9 ) days in the laparoscopic group and 13.6 ( 10 ) days in the open group ( P = 0.004 ) . Local recurrence rate and five-year survival were similar in both groups ; however , the limited number of patients does not allow firm conclusions . Quality of life was better in the laparoscopic group only in the first year after surgery ( P < 0.0001 ) . The additional charge in the laparoscopic group was $ 1,748 per patient r and omized ( $ 1,194 the result of surgical instruments and $ 554 the result of longer operative time ) . The saving in the laparoscopic group was $ 1,396 per patient r and omized ( $ 647 the result of shorter length of hospital stay and $ 749 the result of the lower cost of postoperative complications ) . The net balance result ed in $ 351 extra cost per patient r and omly allocated to the laparoscopic group . Conclusions Short-term postoperative morbidity was similar in the two groups . Laparoscopic resection reduced length of hospital stay , improved first-year quality of life , and slightly increased hospital costs Background : Laparoscopic resection of the rectum is still under scrutiny for its adequacy of oncological clearance . Aim : To assess lymph node yield after laparoscopic total mesorectal excision ( TME ) for rectal cancer as compared to the open approach . Methods : 74 patients with middle and low rectal cancer were prospect ively r and omized in two groups . Group A included 39 patients who had an open TME ( 35 with low anterior resection of the rectum ( LARR ) and 4 with abdominoperineal resection of the rectum ( APR ) ) .  In group B , there were 34 patients who had a laparoscopic TME ( 27 with LARR and 7 with APR ) . 10 of the LARR patients in group A and 14 of the LARR patients in group B had a  defunctioning ileostomy .  All operations were performed by one surgeon or under his supervision . Results : Gender and age distribution were similar for both groups ( group A : 23 males ; mean age 69 ( 41–85 ) ; group B : 20 males ; mean age 72 ( 31–84 ) ) . The mean distance of the tumor from the dentate line was 7.6 cm ( 1–12 cm ) for group A and 6.1 cm ( 1–12 cm ) for group B. Anastomosis was formed at a mean distance of 5.5 cm ( 1.5–8.5 cm ) from the dentate line in group A and 3.5 cm ( 1–4.5 cm ) in group B. At histology , in group A there were 5 T4 tumors , 9 T3 , 10 T3 + ( < 1 mm distance from the circumferential resection margin ) , 13 T2 and 2 T1 . In group B , there were 3 T4 tumors , 14 T3 , 8 T3 + , 7 T2 and 2 T1 . Differences between groups were not significant . The mean number of lymph nodes retrieved in group A specimens was 19.2 ( 5–45 ) and in group B 19.2 ( 8–41 ) ( p = 0.2 ) . In group A , 3.9 ( 1–9 ) regional , 13.9 ( 3–34 ) intermediate and 1.5 ( 1–3 ) apical lymph nodes were retrieved . The respective values in group B were 3.7 ( 3–7 ) , 14.4 ( 4–33 ) and 1.3 ( 1–3 ) . Differences between groups were not significant . Also , the incidence of lymph node involvement by the tumor was not significantly different between groups ( group A : 23 ; group B : 19 ) . Conclusions : Laparoscopic resection of the rectum can achieve similar lymph node clearance to the open approach . Also , distribution of the lymph nodes along the resected specimens is similar between the two approaches Background The Laparoscopic approach has been applied to colorectal surgery for many years ; however , there are only a few reports on laparoscopic low and ultralow anterior resection with construction of coloanal anastomosis . This study compares open versus laparoscopic low and ultralow anterior resections , assesses the feasibility and efficacy of the laparoscopic approach of total mesorectal excision ( TME ) with anal sphincter preservation ( ASP ) , and analyzes the short-term results of patients with low rectal cancer . Methods We analyzed our experience via a prospect i ve , r and omized control trail . From June 2001 to September 2002 , 171 patients with low rectal cancer underwent TME with ASP , 82 by the laparoscopic procedure and 89 by the open technique .  The lowest margin of tumors was below peritoneal reflection and 1.5–8 cm above the dentate line ( 1.5–4.9 cm in 104 cases and 5–8 cm in 67 cases ) . The grouping was r and omized . Results Results of operation , postoperative recovery , and short-term oncological follow-up were compared between 82 laparoscopic procedures and 89 controls who underwent open surgery during the same period . In the laparoscopic group , 30 patients in whom low anterior resection was performed had the anastomosis below peritoneal reflection and more than 2 cm above the dentate line , 27 patients in whom ultralow anterior resection was performed had anastomotic height within 2 cm of the dentate line , and 25 patients in whom coloanal anastomosis was performed had the anastomosis at or below the dentate line . In the open group , the numbers were 35 , 27 , and 27 , respectively . There was no statistical difference in operation time , administration of parenteral analgesics , start of food intake , and mortality rate between the two groups . However , blood loss was less , bowel function recovered earlier , and hospitalization time was shorter in the laparoscopic group . Conclusion Totally laparoscopic TME with ASP is feasible , and it is a minimally invasive technique with the benefits of much less blood loss during operation , earlier return of bowel function , and shorter hospitalization Bladder and sexual dysfunction , secondary to pelvic nerve injury , are recognized complications of rectal resection . This study investigated the frequency of these complications following  laparoscopically assisted and conventional open mesorectal resection for cancer Local recurrence after resection for rectal cancer remains common despite growing acceptance that inadequate local excision may be implicated . In a prospect i ve study of 190 patients with rectal cancer , we examined the circumferential margin of excision of resected specimens for tumour presence , to examine its frequency and its relation to subsequent local recurrence . Tumour involvement of the circumferential margin was seen in 25 % ( 35/141 ) of specimens for which the surgeon 
    Output:
    
Therefore , laparoscopy for the treatment of patients with rectal cancer has the advantage of recovery and the same complications and prognosis as laparotomy , which indicates that laparoscopy may provide a potential survival benefit for patients with rectal cancer