ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The important goal of modern research in the field of surgical oncology is the quest for a tool that could improve the outcomes of tumour excision. AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the usefulness of the CO2 laser with flexible hollow waveguide and scalpel in mammary tumour excision. MATERIALS & METHODS: A total of 112 female BALB/c mice with implanted orthotopically 4T1-luc2-tdTomato tumour cells were included in the research. Tumours were excised in 48 mice using the CO2 laser and in 48 through scalpel surgery. The control group consisted of 16 untreated mice. The evaluation of surgical outcome was obtained by in vivo bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging and post-mortem histopathological examination. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between recurrence rates, metastases and survival time in groups excised with the scalpel and CO2 laser. CONCLUSION: The CO2 laser has similar efficacy compared with conventional scalpel excision for local recurrence rates, incidence of distant metastases and survival time and can be safely applied in oncological surgery.
