Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Jan-Dec;27(1):1073274820906811.
doi: 10.1177/1073274820906811.

Laparoscopic Surgery Versus Open Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: Impacts on Natural Killer Cells

Liangpan Shi  1 , Hailian Guo  2 , Zhihua Zheng  1 , Jiangrui Liu  1 , Yancheng Jiang  3 , Yibin Su  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Laparoscopic Surgery Versus Open Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: Impacts on Natural Killer Cells

Liangpan Shi et al. Cancer Control. 2020 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Background: Laparoscopic resection is increasingly used in colorectal cancer (CRC). It has been suggested to carry short-term benefits in safety, recovery, and preservation on immune function for patients with CRC. However, the impact of laparoscopic resection on natural killer (NK) cells is largely unclear.

Methods: A total of 200 patients with CRC across Dukes A/B/C stages were randomly assigned to laparoscopic or open resection. The blood samples were collected before and after the surgery. The total number of NK cells was quantified by flow cytometer. Lytic units 35 toward K562 was used to quantify NK cells activity. The outcomes between the groups across pathological stages were also analyzed.

Results: The number and activity of NK cells decreased after the surgery in both groups. The laparoscopic group showed a faster recovery rate of NK cells function than the control group as assessed by cell count and lytic activity. Natural killer cells were impaired in a higher degree in patients at Dukes B/C stages. The recovery of NK cells to baseline level at day 7 postsurgery was observed in the laparoscopic group across all 3 stages.

Conclusion: Generally, laparoscopically assisted surgery resulted in a better preservation on NK cells function. A better outcome was observed in patients with CRC at Dukes B/C stages.

Keywords: colorectal cancer; flow cytometry; immune function; laparoscopy; natural killer cells.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Trial profile.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of the numbers of natural killer (NK) cells between the surgery groups at different time points. The number of NK cells in blood (absolute counts/µL) was measured by flow cytometer. Values were shown as mean with standard deviation. Statistical analysis: *P < .05 within-group effect in laparoscopic group per analysis of variance (ANOVA); # P < .05 within-group effect in open group per ANOVA. ^P < .05 cross groups at the indicated time point per Student t test.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Comparison of the activities of natural killer (NK) cells between the surgery groups at different time points. The NK cells in blood were harvested and their lysis activities (LU35) were quantified as described in the Methods section. Statistical analysis: *P < .05 within-group effect in laparoscopic group per analysis of variance (ANOVA); # P < .05 within-group effect in open group per ANOVA. ^P < .05 cross groups at the indicated time point per Student t test.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Comparison of the total numbers and the activities of natural killer (NK) cells across different pathological stages before surgery. A, The number of NK cells in blood (absolute counts/µL) were measured by flow cytometry. B, Their lysis activities (LU35) were quantified in a standard assay. The data were presented as mean with standard deviation. Statistical analysis: *P < .05 among the pathological stages per analysis of variance (ANOVA).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Haggar FA, Boushey RP. Colorectal cancer epidemiology: incidence, mortality, survival, and risk factors. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2009;22(4):191–197. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cronin KA, Lake AJ, Scott S, et al. Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, part I: national cancer statistics. Cancer. 2018;124(13):2785–2800. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ueno H, Mochizuki H, Hashiguchi Y, et al. Histological grading of colorectal cancer: a simple and objective method. Ann Surg. 2008;247(5):811–818. - PubMed
    1. Barresi V, Reggiani Bonetti L, Ieni A, Caruso RA, Tuccari G. Histological grading in colorectal cancer: new insights and perspectives. Histol Histopathol. 2015;30(9):1059–1067. - PubMed
    1. Aran V, Victorino AP, Thuler LC, Ferreira CG. Colorectal cancer: epidemiology, disease mechanisms and interventions to reduce onset and mortality. Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2016;15(3):195–203. - PubMed

Publication types