Abstract

Background: The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol has been proven to be safe and effective in colorectal surgery and is widely recommended in clinical guidelines. Compared with left-sided colon cancer, surgery for right-sided colon cancer has achieved greater consensus among surgeons, anesthesiologists, and multidisciplinary teams in the implementation of ERAS components. The full implementation of ERAS components in colon surgery remains challenging. Objectives: 1. To describe the clinical and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with colon cancer; 2. To evaluate the outcomes of implementing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) components in laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer. Materials and Method: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital from March 2021 to March 2025. A total of 73 patients diagnosed with colon cancer who underwent laparoscopic surgery with ERAS implementation were included. Compliance with ERAS components and postoperative outcomes were assessed. Results: Intraoperative complications occurred in 1.4% of patients. The overall postoperative complication 90 TẠP CHÍ Y DƯỢC HUẾ - HUE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY ISSN 3030-4318; eISSN: 3030-4326 rate was 19.2%, with higher incidence observed in patients with body mass index (BMI) < 20 kg/m2 and those with intraperitoneal drainage. The mean time to first flatus was 2.11 days, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 7.18 days. Fourteen ERAS components were fully implemented in all patients, while six components showed suboptimal compliance, including avoidance of mechanical bowel preparation (97.3%), prophylaxis for postoperative nausea and vomiting (76.7%), avoidance of intraperitoneal drainage (72.6%), avoidance of postoperative nasogastric tube placement (86.3%), multimodal analgesia (65.8%), and early postoperative nutrition (95.9%). Right-sided colon cancer accounted for 46.6% of cases. Conclusion: ERAS implementation in laparoscopic colon cancer surgery is safe, feasible, and effective in improving postoperative outcomes.