Objective To compare the efficacy of laparoscopic-assisted hemicolectomy with that of open hemicolectomy for right colon carcinoma and to explore the safety and effectiveness of the formor procedure. Methods The clinical data on 46 patients who had undergone laparoscopic-assisted hemicolectomy and 68 patients who had received open hemicolectomy between December 2009 and December 2013 in our department were retrospectively analyzed. Length of postoperative hospital stay, surgical duration, amount of intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph node dissection, time to postoperative anal exhaust, surgical costs, postoperative complications, and survival rate were compared between the two groups. Results There were no statistical differences between the two grounps in gender, age, body mass index, pathological typing, depth of invasion, and total number of lymph node dissection. Length of hospital stay was 6.84 days in the group of laparoscopic-assisted hemicolectomy and 11.72 days in the group of open hemicolectomy , with a statistical significance. Surgical duration and treatment costs did not differ significantly between the two groups; while amount of intraoperative blood loss (76.63 mL vs. 141.5 mL) and time to postoperative anal exhaust differed significanly. Conclusions Laparoscopic-assisted hemicolectomy is safe and effective for treatment of colon cancer , It has advantages of small trauma, rapid postoperative recovery, and a nice-looking surgical incision.