Objective  This work evaluates the short-term Quality of Life(QOL) of elderly rectal cancer(RC) patients treated with laparoscopy-guided radical rectectomy.

  Methods  From September 2009 to May 2011, the complete data of 132 elderly RC patients were obtained.Information from 54 elderly patients that underwent laparoscopic rectectomy(LR group) was compared with the other 78 patients treated with open rectectomy(OR group).

  Results  No surgery-related deaths occurred among the LR and OR groups.The air exhaustion and food intake time, the time of analgesic use, and occurrence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), as well as the hospital stay after surgery in the LR group were significantly shorter compared with the OR group(P < 0.01).The duration of indwelling catheter use and incision infection was less in the LR group than in the OR group(P < 0.05).No significant differences between the LR group and the OR group concerning the length of resected bowel, as well as the incidence of intestinal fistula, intestinal obstruction, urinary retention, the metastatic rate, and progression-free survival(PFS)(P > 0.05).The five functional domains(body, role, recognition, emotion and social function), three domains of symptom(fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain), one domain of general health, and six single domains(shortness of breath, loss of appetite, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea, economic difficulties) 2 weeks after the surgery were significantly better in the LR group than in the OR group(P < 0.05).Four weeks after the surgery, no significant differences were observed between the LR group and the OR group in terms of cognitive function, pain, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, and insomnia(P > 0.05).

  Conclusion  Laparoscopic rectectomy improves the short-term QOL and is evidently beneficial for elderly RC patients.