Complete mesocolic excision for right hemicolectomy: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE: Complete mesocolic excision improves lymphadenectomy for right hemicolectomy and respects the embryological planes. However, its effect on cancer-free and overall survival is questioned. Therefore, we aimed to determine the potential benefits of the technique by performing a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of the available evidence. METHODS: Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, and Embase were searched on February 22, 2023. Original studies on short- and long-term oncological outcomes of adult patients undergoing right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision as a treatment for primary colon cancer were considered for inclusion. Outcomes were extracted and pooled using a model with random effects. RESULTS: A total of 586 publications were identified through database searching, and 18 from citation searching. Exclusion of 552 articles left 24 articles for inclusion. Meta-analysis showed that complete mesocolic excision increased the lymph node harvest (5 studies, 1479 patients, MD 9.62, 95% CI 5.83–13.41, p > 0.0001, I(2) 84%), 5-year overall survival (5 studies, 2381 patients, OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.14–3.09, p = 0.01, I(2) 66%), 5-year disease-free survival (4 studies, 1376 patients, OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.51–3.23, p < 0.0001, I(2) 0%) and decreased the incidence of local recurrence (4 studies, 818 patients, OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.09–0.79, p = 0.02, I(2) 0%) when compared to standard right hemicolectomy. Perioperative morbidity was similar between the techniques (8 studies, 3899 patients, OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.89–1.22, p = 0.97, I(2) 0%). CONCLUSION: Meta-analysis of observational and randomised studies showed that right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision for primary right colon cancer improves oncologic results without increasing morbidity/mortality. These results need to be confirmed by high-quality evidence and randomised trials in selected patients to assess who may benefit from the procedure. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10151-023-02853-8.