Peritoneal carcinomatosis is less frequently diagnosed during laparoscopic surgery compared to open surgery in patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract Background During resection of a colorectal tumor a careful inspection of the abdomen should be performed to detect metastases. The aim of the current study was to compare the proportions of patients diagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) during laparoscopic resection (LR) and open resection (OR). Methods All patients who underwent resection for colorectal cancer in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry area between 2008 and 2012 were included. Proportions of patients with PC were compared between surgical techniques. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Results 6687 Patients underwent resection for colorectal cancer, of whom 1631 patients (24%) underwent LR, 4665 patients (70%) underwent OR. Conversion took place in 391 patients (19% of laparoscopic treated patients). PC was diagnosed in 1.4% of patients undergoing LR, in 5.0% of patients undergoing OR, and in 3.3% of patients in whom LR was converted to OR ( p