Laparoscopy in the surgical treatment of rectal cancer in Germany 2000-2009

Aim The goal of this registry study was to compare open surgery with planned laparoscopy and then with laparoscopic to open conversion for rectal cancer surgery. Method The study included 17 964 rectal cancer patients, operated on between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2009, from 345 hospitals in Germany. All statistical tests were two‐sided, with the χ2 test (Pearson correlation) for patients and tumour characteristics. Fisher’s exact test was used for complications and 30‐day mortality. Results Of the 17 964 rectal cancer patients, 16 308 (90.8%) had an open procedure and 1656 (9.2%) were started with a laparoscopy. The 1455 patients with completed laparoscopic operations had fewer intra‐operative and postoperative complications (5.4%vs 7.0%, P = 0.020, and 20.5%vs 25.8%, P