To compare the safety, postoperative complications and clinical outcomes of patients with single colon adenocarcinoma treated with laparoscopic radical or open radical operation.

One hundred and ninety-eight colon cancer cases from April 2008 to April 2011 were selected and divided into laparoscopic group and open surgery group randomly, with 99 cases in each group. The open surgery group were treated with traditional open surgery and cut off colon cancer. The operation of the colon resection was carried out with the cooperation of laparoscopic operation in the laparoscopic group. The data of postoperative complications, postoperative quality of life and survival rate after surgery were statistically analyzed between the two groups.

In the laparoscopic group, the mean operation time, bleeding amount, postoperative intestinal function recovery time, exhausting time, and hospitalization time were lower than those in the open group (t=11.182, 22.960, 6.420, 8.635, 16.850, all P<0.01). The postoperative complication rate was higher in the open group, with statistically significant difference (17.2% vs 2.0%, χ²=13.100, P=0.000). Five weeks after operation, the total quality of life of the laparoscopic group was better than that of the open group (P<0.01). For patients with stage Ⅱ colon cancer, the 5-year overall survival rate of the laparoscopic group was better than that of the open group.

Laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer is better than open surgery in terms of safety, clinical efficacy, and postoperative complication rate.