The Impact of Intraoperative Blood Loss on the Survival After Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Blood transfusion and a large amount of intraoperative blood loss (IBL) have been reported to have a negative impact on long-term survival via immunosuppression. In recent years, thanks to the spread of laparoscopic surgery and the development of surgical devices, the average amount of IBL has decreased, as has the need for perioperative blood transfusion. Under such conditions, the prognostic significance of the amount of IBL is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the amount of IBL on long-term survival.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

A total of 277 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for stage II/III colorectal cancer were enrolled.

RESULTS

The median amount of IBL was 30 ml, and 16 patients received blood transfusion. The overall survival rates were significantly better in the low-IBL (≤100 ml) group than in the high-IBL (>100 ml) group regardless of the blood transfusion. As the amount of IBL increased, the decline rate of the peripheral lymphocyte count increased.

CONCLUSION

A large amount of IBL was associated with poor long-term survival, regardless of blood transfusion, in patients with colorectal cancer.