Rectal cancer

BACKGROUND: The ideal level of ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) during curative resection of sigmoid colon and rectal cancer is still controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to examine the impact of high ligation and low ligation of the IMA on anastomotic leakage, overall morbidity, postoperative mortality, and oncological outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for sigmoid colon and rectal cancer. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and BioMed Central databases were searched to identify relevant articles published from May 1953 to March 2018...

AIM: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) is used for the resection of large rectal adenomas and well or moderately differentiated T1 carcinomas. Due to difficulty in preoperative staging, final pathology may reveal a carcinoma not suitable for TEM. Although completion total mesorectal excision is considered standard of care in T2 or more invasive carcinomas, this completion surgery is not always performed. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the outcome of patients after TEM-only, when completion surgery would be indicated...

PURPOSE: Resection of hepatic metastases is the preferred treatment for selected patients after resection of primary colorectal carcinoma, but timing is controversial. This study was designed to compare outcomes of patients receiving concurrent resection of hepatic metastases and the primary colorectal tumor with those of patients receiving staged resection (within 6 months). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed medical records (1986-1999) of 96 consecutive patients with synchronously recognized primary carcinoma and hepatic metastases who underwent concurrent (64 patients) or staged (32 patients) colonic and hepatic resections performed at our institution...

BACKGROUND: Short-course preoperative radiotherapy is indicated in patients with resectable rectal cancer to control local recurrence. Although no clear evidence is available, short-course radiotherapy with operation within a week is common practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of timing of operation for rectal cancer after short-course radiotherapy on anastomotic leakage. STUDY DESIGN: Data from the Dutch Colorectal Audit were used. All patients who received short-course preoperative radiotherapy and underwent elective operation within 14 days for rectal cancer between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2016 were included...

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic rectal resection (LRR) for cancer is a challenging procedure, with conversion to open surgery being reported in up to 30% of cases. Since only a few studies with short follow-up have compared converted LRR and open RR (ORR), it is unclear if conversion to open surgery should be prevented by preferring an open approach in those patients with preoperatively known risk factors for conversion. The aim of this study was to compare early postoperative outcomes and long-term survival after completed LRR, converted LRR or ORR for non-metastatic rectal cancer...

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of rectal carcinoma resections in Germany and worldwide are performed laparoscopically. The recently published COLOR II trial demonstrated the oncologic safety of this surgical approach. It remains unclear whether these findings can be transferred to clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This population-based retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate 5-year overall, relative, disease-free, and local recurrence-free survival of rectal cancer patients treated by open surgery and laparoscopy...

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, patients with multiple co-morbidities undergo surgery for rectal cancer. We aimed to evaluate if decreased psoas muscle area and volume, as measures for sarcopenia, were associated with postoperative morbidity. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients undergoing rectal cancer resection at a tertiary medical center (2007-2015). Variables included demographics, co-morbidities, preoperative psoas muscle area and volume, and postoperative complications...

BACKGROUND: Estimating prognosis on the basis of clinicopathologic factors can inform clinical practice and improve risk stratification for clinical trials. We constructed prognostic nomograms for one-year overall survival and six-month progression-free survival in metastatic colorectal carcinoma by using the ARCAD database. METHODS: Data from 22 674 patients in 26 randomized phase III clinical trials since 1997 were used to construct and validate Cox models, stratified by treatment arm within each study...

AIM: To review evidence on the short-term clinical outcomes of laparoscopic (LRR) vs open rectal resection (ORR) for rectal cancer. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed using Cochrane Central Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, OpenGrey and ClinicalTrials.gov register for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing LRR vs ORR for rectal cancer and reporting short-term clinical outcomes. Articles published in English from January 1, 1995 to June, 30 2016 that met the selection criteria were retrieved and reviewed...

AIM: An airtight anastomosis on intra-operative leak testing has been previously demonstrated to be associated with a lower risk of clinically significant postoperative anastomotic leak following left-sided colorectal anastomosis. However, to date, there is no consistently agreed upon method for management of an intra-operative anastomotic leak. Therefore, we powered a noninferiority study to determine whether suture repair alone was an appropriate strategy for the management of an intra-operative air leak...

BACKGROUND: The effect of obesity on the clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been clearly characterized. This meta-analysis assesses the pathological and perioperative outcomes of obese patients undergoing surgical resection for CRC. METHODS: Meta-analysis was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases were searched for studies reporting outcomes for obese and non-obese patients undergoing primary CRC resection, based on body-mass index measurement...

BACKGROUND: A temporary ileostomy may reduce symptoms from anastomotic leakage after rectal cancer resection. Earlier results of the EASY trial showed that early closure of the temporary ileostomy was associated with significantly fewer postoperative complications. The aim of the present study was to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) following early versus late closure of a temporary ileostomy. METHODS: Early closure of a temporary ileostomy (at 8-13 days) was compared with late closure (at more than 12 weeks) in a multicentre RCT (EASY) that included patients who underwent rectal resection for cancer...

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage is a potential major complication after colorectal surgery. The C-seal was developed to help reduce the clinical leakage rate. It is an intraluminal sheath that is stapled proximal to a colorectal anastomosis, covering it intraluminally and thus preventing intestinal leakage in case of anastomotic dehiscence. The C-seal trial was initiated to evaluate the efficacy of the C-seal in reducing anastomotic leakage in stapled colorectal anastomoses. METHODS: This RCT was performed in 41 hospitals in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hungary and Spain...

BACKGROUND: Tumour response to neo-adjuvant radiotherapy for rectal cancer varies significantly between patients, as classified by Tumour Regression Grade (TRG 0-3), with 0 equating to pathological complete response (pCR) and 3 denoting minimal/no response. pCR is associated with significantly better local recurrence rates and survival, but is achieved in only 20-30% of patients. The literature contains limited data reporting factors predictive of tumour response and corresponding outcomes according to degree of regression...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of hospital volume on perioperative outcomes of clinical tumour stage (cT)1-3 and cT4 rectal cancer. METHODS: 16.162 patients operated for rectal cancer enrolled in the Dutch Surgical Colorectal Audit were included. Hospitals were divided into low (<20 cases/year), medium (21-50 cases/year) and high (>50 cases/year) volume for cT1-3 rectal cancer, and for cT4 rectal cancer into low (1-4 cases/year), medium (5-9 cases/year) and high (≥10 cases/year) volume...

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic colorectal cancer operations in obese patients pose technical challenges that may negatively impact oncologic adequacy. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal cancer resections in obese compared to non-obese patients. Short- and long-term outcomes were assessed secondarily. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted from inception until October 01, 2014. Studies that compared outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal malignant neoplasms in obese and non-obese patients were selected for meta-analysis...

BACKGROUND: The use of laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer has become widespread recently. However, the safety and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for primary advanced colorectal cancer need extensive investigation. We analyzed the short- and long-term outcomes after laparoscopic multivisceral resection for primary colon cancer with suspected invasion of other organs at a single institution. METHODS: Between January 2000 and December 2014, 118 patients underwent laparoscopic multivisceral resection for primary colon cancer invading or adhering to adjacent organs or structures; their short- and long-term outcomes were retrospectively evaluated...

BACKGROUND: Numerous hospitals worldwide are considering setting minimum volume standards for colorectal surgery. This study aims to examine the association between hospital and surgeon volume on outcomes for colorectal surgery. METHODS: Two investigators independently reviewed six databases from inception to May 2016 for articles that reported outcomes according to hospital and/or surgeon volume. Eligible studies included those in which assessed the association hospital or surgeon volume with outcomes for the surgical treatment of colon and/or rectal cancer...

BACKGROUND: The focus of this study was to understand the relationship between the failure of gut barrier function, inflammatory markers and septic complications after resection for extraperitoneal rectal cancer. METHODS: One hundred seven patients were enrolled into this prospective observational study and underwent open colorectal resection for extraperitoneal cancer. All patients underwent an assessment of intestinal permeability (L/M ratio), endotoxemia, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and elastase levels before surgery and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7...

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown the transanal total mesorectal excision (TATME) is emerging as a safe and effective technique for proctectomy. The majority of these studies to date, however, is based on procedures done in centers with teams of two surgeons working simultaneously. Few were performed by single-surgeon teams with sizeable case load. The objective of our study was to identify the feasibility and safety of a single-surgeon TATME. METHODS: Chart review of prospectively collected data on 27 patients who underwent TATME at our institution from June 2015 to September 2016 were included in this study...