Abstract
BACKGROUND: Immune function is an important indicator for assessing postoperative recovery and long-term survival in patients with malignancy, and laparoscopic surgery is thought to have a less suppressive effect on the immune response than open surgery. This study aimed to investigate this effect in a retrospective clinical study. METHODS: In this retrospective clinical study, we enrolled 63 patients with colorectal cancer in the Department of General Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and assessed the changes in their postoperative immune function by measuring CD3(+)T, CD4(+)T, CD8(+)T lymphocytes, and CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio. RESULTS: Compared with open surgery, laparoscopic colorectal surgery was effective in improving the postoperative decline in immune function. We determined that the number of CD4(+), CD8(+)T lymphocytes, and the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio was not significantly reduced in the laparoscopic group. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic-assisted colorectal resection can reduce the inhibition of immune functions compared with conventional open surgery.