• Overall survival and disease-free survival
  

• Operative time
  
• Blood loss
  
• Postoperative analgesic requirements
  
• Recovery of gastrointestinal function (time to resume normal diet, time first passing flatus, time of first bowel motion)
  
• Time to walk independently
  
• Duration of hospital stay
  
• Morbidity and mortality
  
• Direct cost
  

Since the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 1987, laparoscopic surgery has been attempted and applied to many surgical operations. Surgeons in Hong Kong began to perform laparoscopic surgery for colorectal carcinoma in early 1992. Early reports of laparoscopic surgery for colorectal carcinoma from Hong Kong and worldwide suggested better short-term clinical outcomes when compared to open surgery, but there were concerns over port site metastases and adequacy of oncological clearance.

The aim of our randomized trial is to test the null hypothesis that there is no difference in survival after laparoscopic assisted and open resection for colorectal carcinoma.

Patients will undergo different types of surgery according to the location of the tumors: right or extended right hemicolectomy for cecal, ascending colon, or hepatic flexure tumors; left hemicolectomy for descending colon tumors; sigmoid colectomy for sigmoid colon tumors; anterior resection for rectosigmoid or upper rectal tumors; low anterior resection with total mesorectal excision for mid- and low rectal tumors; abdominoperineal resection for very low rectal tumors. Patients will be randomly allocated to laparoscopic assisted or conventional open surgery.

Short-term clinical outcomes and long-term survival data will be prospectively recorded and compared between the two treatment arms.