Surgery along the embryological planes for colon cancer: a systematic review of complete mesocolic excision

Complete mesocolic excision (CME) for colonic cancer offers a surgical specimen of higher quality, with higher number of lymph nodes compared to conventional colectomy. However, evidence on oncological outcomes is limited. The aim of the present study is to review recent literature and provide more information regarding the effect of CME colectomy on short- and long-term outcomes. PubMed and MEDLINE databases were searched, and articles in English reporting data on CME were reviewed. Intraoperative events; postoperative morbidity and mortality; histopathological characteristics, including macroscopic assessment, number, and status of retrieved lymph nodes; and oncological outcomes were the end-points. Thirty-two studies were analyzed. As regards the macroscopic assessment, a larger specimen (p = 0.02) that contains a higher number of lymph nodes (p