Sung Woo Jang,Dae Ro Lim,Jung Chul Kuk,Tae Hyung Kim,Eung Jin Shin*
Purpose: The aim of the present study was to analyze the peri- and post-operative and oncologic outcomes for ascending colon cancer after complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vessel ligation (CVL). Materials and methods: The data of 156 patients who underwent CME with CVL for ascending colon cancer between January 2000 and December 2011 were retrieved from a prospective database. Results: The median follow-up time was 63.6 months. The mean operation time was 191.6 min. The mean blood loss was 85.6 ml. The mean length of the hospital stay was 13.9 days. The mean number of total harvested lymph nodes was 30.3. A 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate was seen in 83.0% of patients, and a 5-year diseasefree survival (DFS) rate was seen in 79.7%. In stage I, the DFS and CSS rates were both 100%. In stage II, the DFS rate was 91.0% and the CSS rate was 92.3%. In stage III, the DFS rate was 53.5% and the CSS rate was 59.5%. In stage IIIa, the DFS and CSS rates were both 100%. In stage IIIb, the DFS rate was 70.1% and the CSS rate was 92.1%. In stag e IIIc, the DFS rate was 19.4% and the CSS rate was 44.0% (p<0.01). The local recurrence rate was 3.8%. Conclusion: Based on the present data, CME with CVL is feasible and safe for treating ascending colon cancer. CME with CVL could lead to better oncologic outcomes for ascending colon cancer surgery.