INTRODUCTION: Several studies, including meta-analysis, have demonstrated the safety, effectiveness and oncologic equivalence of laparoscopic resections when compared to open procedures leading minimally invasive colorectal surgery to be adopted in crescent number of services around the world. This study aims to evaluate the quality of life of patients underwent laparoscopic and open colorectal resections in the early postoperative period. METHODS: this is a prospective study which evaluated 42 patients underwent laparoscopic and open colorectal resection between May to November 2008 followed up until 60th postoperative day. Questionnaires of quality of life were applied in 3th, 7th and 30th postoperative days. Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive analysis of global healthy status scores, functional scores and symptoms of EORTC/QLQ 30. Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney e t de Student statistical tests were used to check the data, with level of significance in 0.05. RESULTS: Most of patients were females (57.1%) with mean age of 61.5 years. It was observed significant difference of "global health status" score on the 30th postoperative between groups, with values of 75.0 and 58.3 for patients underwent laparoscopic and open procedures respectively (p = 0.005). There were no differences in terms of physical function and others as, accomplishment, emotional, cognitive and social functions. In relation to symptoms (fatigue, nausea, pain, dyspnea, insomnia, loss of appetite and constipation) and financial difficulties, there were also no differences between groups. CONCLUSION: Our results have demonstrated that patients underwent laparoscopic colorectal resections have better quality of life at the end of first postoperative month when compared to patients underwent to open colorectal resections.
Quality of life; colorectal cancer; laparoscopic surgery
