MAY WE PERFORM LAPAROSCOPIC COLORECTAL RE SECTION FOR CURE

Oncological risks associated with laparoscopic colorectal surgery in c urative intention include inadequate radicality, seeding of tumour cel ls through unprotected recovery of the surgical specimen, faulty surgi cal technique, and failure to observe the technical and/or oncological limitations applicable to certain tumour sites. Results of laparoscop ic colorectal surgery may be defined by pathohistologic findings (numb er of removed lymph nodes, count of tumor tears, clearence of margins) and long-term results (port-site metastases, local recurrence rate, n umber of distnant metastase, 5-year-survival). Current published resul ts and first data from the Multicenter Study Group will be compared wi th the data of open surgery. Merely a few reports on the number of lym ph nodes removed during such operations have been published. First dat a of the Multicenter Study Group Laparoscopis Colorectal Surgery seem to report comparable data to open surgery. There are no certain data t he occurence rate of port-site metastases as on long-term results, loc al recurrence rates and the 5-year-survival. So the sense and the qual ity of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in curative intention can't be judged nowadays. The many potential mistakes and hazards of oncologica l laparoscopic surgery make it mandatory that such interventions shoul d be done only within the framework of prospective clinical studies co vering limited indications.