Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 7, 2013; 19(29): 4764-4773
Published online Aug 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i29.4764
Quality of life after laparoscopic vs open sphincter-preserving resection for rectal cancer
Simon Siu-Man Ng, Wing-Wa Leung, Cherry Yee-Ni Wong, Sophie Sok-Fei Hon, Tony Wing-Chung Mak, Dennis Kwok-Yu Ngo, Janet Fung-Yee Lee
Simon Siu-Man Ng, Wing-Wa Leung, Cherry Yee-Ni Wong, Sophie Sok-Fei Hon, Tony Wing-Chung Mak, Dennis Kwok-Yu Ngo, Janet Fung-Yee Lee, Division for Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, China
Author contributions: Ng SSM and Leung WW designed the research; Ng SSM, Hon SSF, Mak TWC, Ngo DKY, and Lee JFY performed the surgeries and followed up the patients; Leung WW administered the questionnaires; Wong CYN collected the data; Ng SSM and Leung WW analyzed the data; Ng SSM wrote the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Simon Siu-Man Ng, Professor, Division for Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Clinical Sciences Building, Room 64045, 4/F, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China. simonng@surgery.cuhk.edu.hk
Telephone: +86-852-26321495 Fax: +86-852-26377974
Received: February 25, 2013
Revised: May 2, 2013
Accepted: May 16, 2013
Published online: August 7, 2013
Processing time: 161 Days and 19.2 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: This prospective nonrandomized study demonstrates that laparoscopic sphincter-preserving resection for rectal cancer is associated with better preservation of quality of life (QoL) and fewer male sexual problems when compared with open surgery in Chinese patients in the first postoperative year. Our study has several strengths. First, our study only focused on Chinese patients undergoing curative sphincter-preserving rectal resection, thus minimizing the impact of other potential confounders on the QoL assessment. Second, all our questionnaires were administered by a single research assistant and were completed by the patients during clinic visits. Therefore, we achieved 100% compliance at different time points.