 The purpose of this study is to compare the short and long term outcomes of people who have colon cancers removed either by laparotomy a large cut in the abdominal wall or by a laparoscopic assisted approach keyhole surgery. This study involves 37 credentialled surgeons in 20 approved hospitals across Australasia and during the recruitment period Jan 1998 to March 2005 601 patients were recruited into the ALCCaS Trial. 