Long-term functional follow-up after anterior rectal resection for cancer

Hartmann's Procedure Versus Intersphincteric Abdominoperineal Excision in Patients with Rectal Cancer: Report from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry (SCRCR)

Objective

The primary outcome was to compare overall postoperative surgical complications within 30 days after Hartmann's procedure (HP) compared with intersphincteric abdominoperineal excision (iAPE). The secondary outcome was major surgical complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ III).

Background

There is uncertainty regarding the optimal surgical method in patients with rectal cancer when an anastomosis is unsuitable.

Methods

Rectal cancer patients with a tumor height >5 cm, registered in the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry who received HP or iAPE electively in 2017-2020 were included, (HP, n = 696; iAPE, n = 314). Logistic regression analysis adjusting for body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, sex, age, preoperative radiotherapy, tumor height, cancer stage, operating hospital, and type of operation was performed.

Results

Patients in the HP group were older and had higher American Society of Anesthesiologists scores. The mean operating time was less for HP (290 vs 377 min). Intraoperative bowel perforations were less frequent in the HP group, 3.6% versus 10.2%. Overall surgical complication rates were 20.3% after HP and 15.9% after iAPE (P = 0.118). Major surgical complications were 7.5% after HP and 5.7% and after iAPE (P = 0.351). Multiple regression analysis indicated a higher risk of overall surgical complications after HP (odds ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence interval = 1.09-2.45).

Conclusions

HP was associated with a higher risk of surgical complications compared with iAPE. In patients unfit for anastomosis, iAPE may be preferable. However, the lack of statistical power regarding major surgical complications, prolonged operating time, increased risk of bowel perforation, and lack of long-term outcomes, raises uncertainty regarding recommending intersphincteric abdominoperineal excision as the preferred surgical approach.

Low Anterior Resection Syndrome and Quality of Life of Patients After Sphincter Preservation Surgery: A Prospective Study

Background After anterior resection (AR), one of the most debilitating complications is low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) seen in about 64% of patients. The severity of the LARS score was significantly correlated with neoadjuvant treatment, the extent of rectal surgery, complication by the anastomotic leak, female gender, and age < 64 years. In this study, we analyzed the impact of various clinical factors on LARS and also the various domains of quality of life (QoL). Purpose To assess the incidence of LARS in patients undergoing sphincter-sparing surgery for rectal cancer after the patient starts long-term defecating per anus, change in the QoL, and relation to LARS and factors affecting it. Methods One year before, 72 patients who had undergone AR in the Regional Cancer Centre were interviewed by a trained interviewer and data was collected from the file. The questionnaires used were the Wexner Incontinence score, LARS Malayalam Questionnaire, and European Organisation For Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ C30 Malayalam translations. Statistical measures The LARS score was used to categorize patients into three grades. The scores were compared with clinical and social factors using the χ2 test for association. Continuous variables were compared by the Spearman Rho test. Results Details of patients were studied (male: 55.6% (40) and female: 44.4% (32)). Fifty patients underwent low anterior resection (LAR). The mean LARS score was 25.61, with 47.2% of patients having severe LARS score. The mean Wexner score was 6.84. The relation with type of surgery, approach (laparoscopic vs open), or type of neoadjuvant therapy was not found to be significant. A higher LARS score did not impact overall QoL as assessed by FACT-C. Insomnia and diarrhea symptoms scores were significantly worsened. The pain score was worse for those undergoing stapler anastomosis. Wexner's score was worse for those who had received adjuvant chemotherapy. Role functioning score was better for AR compared to low anterior resection (LAR). Only distance from the anal verge was found to be a significant cause of LARS and was negatively correlated. Discussion LARS of severe degrees were seen in most patients. No modifiable risk factors were significantly found to affect the chance of LARS. However, LARS did not have a significant impact on QoL, neither did the type of surgery. So sphincter preservation can be offered to the patients, but all patients undergoing LAR should be counseled well about the risk of LARS before surgery.

Minor impact of anastomotic leakage in anterior resection for rectal cancer on long-term male urinary and sexual function

PURPOSE

Anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal cancer induces bowel dysfunction, but the influence on urinary and sexual function is largely unknown. This cross-sectional cohort study evaluated long-term effect of anastomotic leakage on urinary and sexual function in male patients.

METHODS

Patients operated with anterior resection for rectal cancer in 15 Swedish hospitals 2007-2013 were identified. Anastomotic leakage and other clinical variables were retrieved from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry and medical records. Urinary and sexual dysfunction were evaluated at 4 to 11 years after surgery using the International Prostate Symptom Score, International Index of Erectile Function, and European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire CR29. The effect of anastomotic leakage on average scores of urinary and sexual dysfunction was evaluated as a primary outcome, and the single items permanent urinary catheter and sexual inactivity as secondary outcomes. The association of anastomotic leakage and functional outcomes was analyzed using regression models with adjustment for confounders.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 84 months (interquartile range: 67-110), 379 out of 864 eligible men were included. Fifty-nine (16%) patients had anastomotic leakage. Urinary incontinence was more common in the leakage group, with an adjusted mean score difference measured by EORTC QLQ ColoRectal-29 of 8.69 (95% confidence interval: 0.72-16.67). The higher risks of urinary frequency, permanent urinary catheter, and sexual inactivity did not reach significance.

CONCLUSION

Anastomotic leakage after anterior resection had a minor negative impact on urinary and sexual function in men.

Bowel dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms on quality of life after sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the impact of bowel dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms on the quality of patients with rectal cancer who underwent sphincter-preserving surgery.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included patients who were followed up after sphincter-preserving surgery in Korea. Data were collected from May 2022 to February 2023. The participants (n = 110) responded to self-reported questionnaires assessing the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) score, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-C29 questionnaires.

RESULTS

Among the participants, 66.4% had major low anterior resection syndrome, and 39.1% had moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms. Patients with higher severity of low anterior resection syndrome and lower urinary tract symptoms had a lower quality of life. The IPSS, performance status, duration since the end of the surgery, comorbidities, LARS scores, and tumor location on the anal verge negatively affected the quality of life.

CONCLUSION

Patients with more severe bowel dysfunction or lower urinary tract symptoms have a poorer quality of life. Nurses should be made aware of the factors that can reduce the quality of life of patients who have undergone sphincter-preserving surgery. Accordingly, they should plan to address the various nursing problems.

Long-term bowel functional outcomes following anal sphincter-preserving surgery for upper and middle rectal cancer: a single-center longitudinal study

PURPOSE

Despite advances in neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and anal sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer, bowel dysfunction is still unavoidable and negatively affects patients' quality of life. In this longitudinal study, we aimed to investigate the changes in bowel function with follow-up time and the effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on bowel function following low anterior resection for rectal cancer.

METHODS

In this study, 171 patients with upper or middle rectal cancer who underwent low anterior resection between 2012 and 2018 were included. Bowel function was assessed longitudinally with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Bowel Function Instrument and Wexner scores every 6 months after restoration of bowel continuity. Patients with at least 2 follow-up visits were included.

RESULTS

Overall, 100 patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Urgency, soilage, and fecal incontinence were noted within 24 months in the patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. After 2 years of follow-up, significant bowel dysfunction and fecal incontinence were observed in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy group. Low tumor level and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were associated with delayed bowel dysfunction.

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in combination with low tumor level was significantly associated with delayed bowel dysfunction even after 2 years of follow-up. Therefore, careful selection and discussion with patients are paramount.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Low Anterior Resection Syndrome following Trans-Anal Total Mesorectal Excision

BACKGROUND

Trans-anal total mesorectal excision (Ta-TME) is a novel approach for the resection of rectal cancer. Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a frequent functional disorder that might follow restorative proctectomy. Data regarding bowel function after Ta-TME are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for the development of LARS following Ta-TME.

METHODS

A prospectively maintained database of all patients who underwent Ta-TME for rectal cancer at our institution was reviewed. All patients who were operated on from January 2018 to December 2021 were evaluated. The LARS score questionnaire was used via telephone interviews. Incidence, severity and risk factors for LARS were evaluated.

RESULTS

Eighty-five patients underwent Ta-TME for rectal cancer between January 2018 and December 2021. Thirty-five patients were excluded due to ostomy status, death, local disease recurrence, ileal pouch or lack of compliance. Fifty patients were included in the analysis. LARS was diagnosed in 76% of patients. Anastomosis distance from dentate line was identified as a risk factor for LARS via multivariate analysis (p = 0.042). Neo-adjuvant therapy, hand sewn anastomosis and anastomotic leak did not increase the risk of LARS.

CONCLUSION

LARS is a frequent condition following ta-TME, as it is used for other approaches to low anterior resection. Anastomosis distance from dentate line is an independent risk factor for LARS. In this study neo-adjuvant therapy, hand sewn anastomosis and anastomotic leak did not increase the risk of LARS. Further studies with longer follow-up times are required to better understand the functional outcomes following Ta-TME.

Long term persistence and risk factors for anorectal symptoms following low anterior resection for rectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Rectal cancer is commonly treated by chemoradiation therapy, followed by the low anterior resection anal sphincter-preserving surgery, with a temporary protecting ileostomy. After reversal of the stoma a condition known as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) can occur characterized by a combination of symptoms such as urgent bowel movements, lack of control over bowel movements, and difficulty fully emptying the bowels. These symptoms have a significant negative impact on the quality of life for individuals who have survived the cancer. Currently, there is limited available data regarding the presence, risk factors, and effects of treatment for these symptoms during long-term follow-up.

AIMS

To evaluate long term outcomes of low anterior resection surgery and its correlation to baseline anorectal manometry (ARM) parameters and physiotherapy with anorectal biofeedback (BF) treatment.

METHODS

One hundred fifteen patients (74 males, age 63 ± 11) who underwent low anterior resection surgery for rectal cancer were included in the study. Following surgery, patients were managed by surgical and oncologic team, with more symptomatic LARS patients referred for further evaluation and treatment by gastroenterologists. At follow up, patients were contacted and offered participation in a long term follow up by answering symptom severity and quality of life (QOL) questionnaires.

RESULTS

80 (70%) patients agreed to participate in the long term follow up study (median 4 years from stoma reversal, range 1-8). Mean time from surgery to stoma closure was 6 ± 4 months. At long term follow up, mean LARS score was 30 (SD 11), with 55 (69%) patients classified as major LARS (score > 30). Presence of major LARS was associated with longer time from surgery to stoma reversal (6.8 vs. 4.8 months; p = 0.03) and with adjuvant chemotherapy (38% vs. 8%; p = 0.01). Patients initially referred for ARM and BF were more likely to suffer from major LARS at long term follow up (64% vs. 16%, p < 0.001). In the subgroup of patients who underwent perioperative ARM (n = 36), higher maximal squeeze pressure, higher maximal incremental squeeze pressure and higher rectal pressure on push were all associated with better long-term outcomes of QOL parameters (p < 0.05 for all). 21(54%) of patients referred to ARM were treated with BF, but long term outcomes for these patients were not different from those who did not perform BF.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant number of patients continue to experience severe symptoms and a decline in their quality of life even 4 years after undergoing low anterior resection surgery. Prolonged time until stoma reversal and adjuvant chemotherapy emerged as the primary risk factors for a negative prognosis. It is important to note that referring patients for anorectal physiology testing alone tended to predict poorer long-term outcomes, indicating the presence of selection bias. However, certain measurable manometric parameters could potentially aid in identifying patients who are at a higher risk of experiencing unfavorable functional outcomes. There is a critical need to enhance current treatment options for this patient group.

Adoption of Total Neoadjuvant Therapy in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Local and metastatic recurrence are primary concerns following the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Chemoradiation (CRT) can reduce the local recurrence rates and has subsequently moved to the neoadjuvant setting from the adjuvant setting. Pathological complete response (pCR) rates have also been noted to be greater in patients treated with neoadjuvant CRT prior to surgery. The standard approach to treating LARC would often involve CRT followed by surgery and optional adjuvant chemotherapy and remained the treatment paradigm for almost two decades. However, patients were often unable to complete adjuvant chemotherapy due to a decreased tolerance of chemotherapy following surgery, which led to upfront treatment with both CRT and chemotherapy, and total neoadjuvant therapy, or TNT, was created. The efficacy outcomes of local recurrence, disease-free survival, and pCR have improved in patients receiving TNT compared to the standard approach. Additionally, more recent data suggest a possible improvement in overall survival as well. Patients with a complete clinical response following TNT have the opportunity for watch-and-wait surveillance, allowing some patients to undergo organ preservation. Here, we discuss the clinical trials and studies that led to the adoption of TNT as the standard of care for LARC, with the possibility of watch-and-wait surveillance for patients achieving complete responses. We also review the possibility of overtreating some patients with LARC.

Validity assessment of the POLARS score tool in the prediction of post rectal cancer surgery LARS score in a population-based Swedish cohort

OBJECTIVE

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is one of the most common functional impairments after rectal cancer surgery with a high impact on quality of life. The Pre-Operative LARS score (POLARS) nomogram and its online tool has been developed to predict the degree of postoperative LARS. The aim of this study was to analyse how accurately the POLARS score could predict LARS scores when compared with actual patient-reported LARS (PR-LARS) scores in a population-based Swedish cohort.

DESIGN

This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent curative rectal cancer surgery between 2007 and 2013 in Stockholm County and were identified using the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry (SCRCR). Information regarding preoperative risk factors, patient and treatment characteristics, and presence of LARS postoperatively were collected from patient charts, SCRCR and patient questionnaires. The POLARS model formula was used to predict LARS scores, which then were compared with the actual PR-LARS scores. Individual LARS score differences between the two estimates were shown with a modified Bland-Altman plot of difference.

RESULTS

The cohort included 477 patients, of whom 359 (75%) of patients were categorised as having no/minor LARS based on the POLARS score. The correctly identified patients by the POLARS score were 80/255 (31%) in the major LARS group and 184/222 (83%) no/minor LARS group. The sensitivity was 31% for major LARS and the positive predictive value was 68%.

CONCLUSION

The POLARS score has a low sensitivity for major LARS in this Swedish cohort. Other methods to predict the risk of LARS need to be developed.

Impact of chemotherapy on surgical outcomes in ileostomy reversal: a propensity score matching study from a single centre

PURPOSE

In patients with chemotherapy, there is no consensus on the timing of ileostomy closure. Ileostomy reversal could improve the quality of life and minimise the long-term adverse events of delayed closure. In this study, we evaluated the impact of chemotherapy on ileostomy closure and searched for the predictive factors for complications.

METHODS

We retrospectively analysed 212 patients with rectal cancer who underwent ileostomy closure surgery during and without chemotherapy and were consecutively enrolled between 2010 and 2016. As a result of the heterogeneity of the two groups, propensity score matching (PSM) was performed with a 1:1 PSM cohort.

RESULTS

A total of 162 patients were included in the analysis. The overall stoma closure-related complications (12.4% vs. 11.1%, p = 1.00) and major complications (2.5% vs. 6.2%, p = 0.44) were not significantly different between the two groups. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that chronic kidney disease and bevacizumab use are risk factors for major complications.

CONCLUSION

Patients with oral or intravenous chemotherapy can safely have ileostomy closure with an adequate time delay from chemotherapy. When patients use bevacizumab, major complications related to ileostomy closure should still be cautioned.

"You're just on your own": Exploring bowel symptom management needs after rectal cancer surgery through patient and clinician focus groups

PURPOSE

Currently cancer survivorship often leaves the needs of patients unidentified and unmet. The study aims to establish the views of experts on managing bowel symptoms following rectal cancer surgery.

METHOD

People living with bowel symptoms as well as clinicians with expertise in rectal cancer and subsequent bowel changes were invited to participate in online focus groups. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a modified framework analysis. Results were presented narratively with interpretations and quotations.

RESULTS

Fourteen patients following rectal cancer treatment attended one of two focus groups. Sixteen clinicians attended one of four groups. Participants described their opinions about bowel symptom management. Three themes were described by both patients and clinicians: expectations of bodily changes, supported self-repair and knowledgeable self-repair. Data from participants frequently concurred; all recognised clinicians needed to support and empower patients to independently manage their cancer consequences.

CONCLUSION

Well-managed expectations enable patients to set realistic goals and make plans. Clinicians need to support patients to understand potential bowel changes that might occur after rectal cancer surgery, providing support, information and signposting to other relevant information and colleagues. Effective communication through avoidance of jargon and rapport building as well as providing a point of contact help prevent patients feeling alone with their symptoms. Education is needed by both clinicians and patients to ensure consistent and useful advice is provided and understood. A recommendation from the focus groups is to create opportunities for patients to access information with clinician support and signposting.

Functional outcomes after transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME): a random forest analysis to predict patients' outcomes

PURPOSE

Anorectal, sexual, and urinary dysfunction are common issues after rectal cancer surgery, although seldom explored. The primary aim of this study was to investigate postoperative anorectal functional results.

METHODS

Patients with mid/low-rectal cancer treated with transanal TME (TaTME) with primary anastomosis with/without diverting stoma between 2015 and 2020 were reviewed and selected if they had a minimum follow-up of 6 months (from the primary procedure or stoma reversal). Patients were interviewed using validated questionnaires and the primary outcome was bowel function based on Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) scores. Statistical analyses were performed to identify clinical/operative variables correlated with worse outcomes. A random forest (RF) algorithm was computed to classify patients at a greater risk of minor/major LARS.

RESULTS

Ninety-seven patients were selected out of 154 TaTME performed. Overall, 88.7% of the patients had a protective stoma and 25.8% reported major LARS at mean follow-up of 19.0 months. Statistical analyses documented that age, operative time, and interval to stoma reversal correlated with LARS outcomes. The RF analysis disclosed worse LARS symptoms in patients with longer operative time (> 295 min) and stoma reversal interval (> 5.6 months). If the interval ranged between 3 and 5.6 months, older patients (> 65 years) reported worse outcomes. Finally, no statistical difference was documented when comparing the rate of minor/major LARS in the first 27 cases versus others.

CONCLUSION

One-quarter of the patients developed major LARS after TaTME. An algorithm based on clinical/operative variables, such as age, operative time, and time to stoma reversal, was developed to identify categories at risk for LARS symptoms.

Low anterior resection syndrome and its impact on quality of life of ovarian carcinoma patients: A prospective longitudinal study

OBJECTIVES

Bowel dysfunction is frequently reported in patients with ovarian carcinoma (OC). Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) like symptoms in patients with primary OC and its impact on quality of life (QoL).

METHODS

A prospective longitudinal observational cohort study was performed, including patients with newly diagnosed OC treated by primary or interval surgery with residual tumor <1 cm, from 2018 until 2021. Patients with a stoma or recurrence of disease were excluded. Intestinal dysfunction was assessed using the validated LARS score questionnaire pre- and postoperatively. There are 3 subgroups based on the results: no, minor, or major LARS. The impact on QoL was evaluated by an additional question to demonstrate the severity of patient's life impairment.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was answered by 78 patients pre- and post-operatively. LARS like symptoms were reported preoperatively in 34.6% (24.4% minor/10.2% major) and significantly increased postoperatively to 47.4% (28.2% minor/19.2% major; p = 0.011). Moderate to severe impairment of QoL correlated with LARS scores pre- (80%) and post-operatively (90%). Patients with two bowel anastomoses (mean score 18.6 pre- and 24.9 post-operatively, p = 0.041) showed a significant increase of the questionnaire score.

CONCLUSIONS

Major LARS like symptoms appear in 10% of OC patients preoperatively and significantly increase to almost two-fold postoperatively. Multiple bowel anastomoses had a significant risk for higher postoperative LARS score. QoL impairment correlates linearly with LARS positive scoring, independent on the timing of the complaints.

Effect of low anterior resection syndrome on quality of life in colorectal cancer patients: A retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a common complication of anus-preserving surgery in patients with colorectal cancer, which significantly affects patients' quality of life.

AIM

To determine the relationship between the incidence of LARS and patient quality of life after colorectal cancer surgery and to establish a LARS prediction model to allow perioperative precision nursing.

METHODS

We reviewed the data from patients who underwent elective radical resection for colorectal cancer at our institution from April 2013 to June 2020 and completed the LARS score questionnaire and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life and Colorectal Cancer Module questionnaires. According to the LARS score results, the patients were divided into no LARS, mild LARS, and severe LARS groups. The incidence of LARS and the effects of this condition on patient quality of life were determined. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for the occurrence of LARS. Based on these factors, we established a risk prediction model for LARS and evaluated its performance.

RESULTS

Among the 223 patients included, 51 did not develop LARS and 171 had mild or severe LARS. The following quality of life indicators showed significant differences between patients without LARS and those with mild or severe LARS: Physical, role, emotional, and cognitive function, total health status, fatigue, pain, shortness of breath, insomnia, constipation, and diarrhea. Tumor size, partial/total mesorectal excision, colostomy, preoperative radiotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were identified to be independent risk factors for LARS. A LARS prediction model was successfully established, which demonstrated an accuracy of 0.808 for predicting the occurrence of LARS.

CONCLUSION

The quality of life of patients with LARS after colorectal cancer surgery is significantly reduced.

Pattern of Residual Submucosal Involvement after Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer: A Rationale for the Utility of Endoscopic Submucosal Resection

Background and Objectives: Full-thickness trans anal local excision for tumors with favorable response following neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) is a common strategy for organ preservation, but it could be associated with a high rate of postoperative complications. We describe the incidence and pattern of submucosal involvement in surgical specimens following neoadjuvant therapy for LARC and whether limiting local excision of the residual tumor bed to only mucosal/submucosal layers of the rectal wall is sufficient for accurately predicting the ypT status of residual cancer, providing a pathological rationale to replace full-thickness local excision by endoscopic submucosal resection. Materials and Methods: This was a single-institution retrospective study conducted at a teaching community hospital. We reviewed clinical and pathological findings with slides of 82 patients diagnosed with LARC treated at our center between 2006 and 2020. Eligibility criteria mirrored our current organ preservation trials. Results: No tumor was found in surgical specimens in 28 cases (34%). Additionally, 4, 22, 27, and 1 cases were staged as ypT1, ypT2, ypT3, and ypT4, respectively. Residual malignant cells were found in the submucosal layer in 98% of cases with ypT+ stage, with 'skip lesions' in only 2% of cases. Conclusions: A very high incidence of submucosal involvement is noticed in residual tumors after neoadjuvant therapy, providing pathological rationale to study the role of endoscopic submucosal resection as a restaging tool for tumors with favorable response after neoadjuvant therapy when organ preservation strategy is pursued. This study was limited by its retrospective design and relatively small number of patients.

Risk factors associated with low anterior resection syndrome: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Oncological outcomes following rectal cancer surgery have improved significantly over recent decades with lower recurrences and longer overall survival. However, many of the patients experienced low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). This study identified the prevalence and risk factors associated with the development of LARS.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved patients who were diagnosed with rectal cancer and had undergone sphincter-preserving low anterior resection from January 2011 to December 2020. Upon clinic follow-up, patients were asked to complete an interviewed based questionnaire (LARS score) designed to assess bowel dysfunction after rectal cancer surgery.

RESULTS

Out of 76 patients, 25 patients (32.9%) had major LARS, 10 patients (13.2%) had minor LARS, and 41 patients (53.9%) had no LARS. The height of tumor from anal verge showed an association with the development of major LARS (P=0.039). Those patients with less than 8 cm tumor from anal verge had an increased risk of LARS by 3 times compared to those with 8 cm and above (adjusted odds ratio, 3.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-9.13).

CONCLUSION

Results from our study show that low tumor height was a significant risk factor that has a negative impact on bowel function after surgery. The high prevalence of LARS emphasizes the need for study regarding risk factors and the importance of understanding the pathophysiology of LARS, in order for us to improve patient bowel function and quality of life after rectal cancer surgery.

Validation of low anterior resection syndrome score in Brazil with Portuguese

PURPOSE

This study was performed to investigate the convergent validity, discriminative validity, and reliability of the Brazilian version of the low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score in a population with low educational and socioeconomic levels.

METHODS

The LARS score was translated into the Portuguese language by forward- and back-translation procedures. In total, 127 patients from a public hospital in Brazil completed the questionnaires. The convergent validity was tested by comparing the LARS score with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core Module 30 (QLQ-C30) and with patients' self-reported quality of life. For the discriminative validity, we tested the ability of the score to differentiate among subgroups of patients regarding neoadjuvant radiotherapy, type of surgery, and tumor distance from the anal verge. The test-retest reliability was investigated in a subgroup of 36 patients who responded to the survey twice in 2 weeks.

RESULTS

The LARS score demonstrated a strong correlation with 5 of 6 items from the EORTC QLQ-C30 (P<0.05) and good concordance with patients' self-reported quality of life (95.3%), confirming the convergent validity. The score was able to discriminate between subgroups of patients with different clinical characteristics related to LARS (P<0.001). The agreement between the test and retest showed that 86.1% of the patients remained in the same LARS category, and there was no significant difference between the LARS score numerical values (P=0.80), indicating good reliability overall.

CONCLUSION

The Brazilian version of the LARS score is a valid and reliable instrument to assess postoperative bowel function in a population with low educational and socioeconomic levels.

Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) after Surgery for Rectal Cancer: An Inevitable Price to Pay for Survival, or a Preventable Complication?

BACKGROUND

Rectal cancer is frequent and often treated with sphincter-saving procedures that may cause LARS, a syndrome characterized by symptoms of bowel disfunction that may severely affect quality of life. LARS is common, but its pathogenesis is mostly unknown. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence of LARS and to identify potential risk factors.

METHODS

We performed an observational retrospective single center analysis. The following data were collected and analyzed for each patient: demographics, tumor-related data, and intra- and peri-operative data. Statistical analysis was conducted, including descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression to identify independent risk factors.

RESULTS

Total LARS incidence was 31%. Statistically significant differences were found in tumor distance from anal verge, tumor extension (pT and diameter) and tumor grading (G). Multivariate analysis identified tumor distance from anal verge and tumor extension as an independent predictive factor for both major and total LARS. Adjuvant therapy, although not significant at univariate analysis, was identified as an independent predictive factor. Time to stoma closure within 10 weeks seems to reduce incidence of major LARS.

CONCLUSIONS

bold LARS affects a considerable portion of patients. This study identified potential predictive factors that could be useful to identify high risk patients for LARS.

Artificial Intelligence for context-aware surgical guidance in complex robot-assisted oncological procedures: An exploratory feasibility study

INTRODUCTION

Complex oncological procedures pose various surgical challenges including dissection in distinct tissue planes and preservation of vulnerable anatomical structures throughout different surgical phases. In rectal surgery, violation of dissection planes increases the risk of local recurrence and autonomous nerve damage resulting in incontinence and sexual dysfunction. This work explores the feasibility of phase recognition and target structure segmentation in robot-assisted rectal resection (RARR) using machine learning.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 57 RARR were recorded and subsets of these were annotated with respect to surgical phases and exact locations of target structures (anatomical structures, tissue types, static structures, and dissection areas). For surgical phase recognition, three machine learning models were trained: LSTM, MSTCN, and Trans-SVNet. Based on pixel-wise annotations of target structures in 9037 images, individual segmentation models based on DeepLabv3 were trained. Model performance was evaluated using F1 score, Intersection-over-Union (IoU), accuracy, precision, recall, and specificity.

RESULTS

The best results for phase recognition were achieved with the MSTCN model (F1 score: 0.82 ± 0.01, accuracy: 0.84 ± 0.03). Mean IoUs for target structure segmentation ranged from 0.14 ± 0.22 to 0.80 ± 0.14 for organs and tissue types and from 0.11 ± 0.11 to 0.44 ± 0.30 for dissection areas. Image quality, distorting factors (i.e. blood, smoke), and technical challenges (i.e. lack of depth perception) considerably impacted segmentation performance.

CONCLUSION

Machine learning-based phase recognition and segmentation of selected target structures are feasible in RARR. In the future, such functionalities could be integrated into a context-aware surgical guidance system for rectal surgery.

Machine learning model for prediction of low anterior resection syndrome following laparoscopic anterior resection of rectal cancer: A multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) severely impairs patient postoperative quality of life, especially major LARS. However, there are few tools that can accurately predict major LARS in clinical practice.

AIM

To develop a machine learning model using preoperative and intraoperative factors for predicting major LARS following laparoscopic surgery of rectal cancer in Chinese populations.

METHODS

Clinical data and follow-up information of patients who received laparoscopic anterior resection for rectal cancer from two medical centers (one discovery cohort and one external validation cohort) were included in this retrospective study. For the discovery cohort, the machine learning prediction algorithms were developed and internally validated. In the external validation cohort, we evaluated the trained model using various performance metrics. Further, the clinical utility of the model was tested by decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, 1651 patients were included in the present study. Anastomotic height, neoadjuvant therapy, diverting stoma, body mass index, clinical stage, specimen length, tumor size, and age were the risk factors associated with major LARS. They were used to construct the machine learning model to predict major LARS. The trained random forest (RF) model performed with an area under the curve of 0.852 and a sensitivity of 0.795 (95%CI: 0.681-0.877), a specificity of 0.758 (95%CI: 0.671-0.828), and Brier score of 0.166 in the external validation set. Compared to the previous preoperative LARS score model, the current model exhibited superior predictive performance in predicting major LARS in our cohort (accuracy of 0.772 for the RF model vs 0.355 for the preoperative LARS score model).

CONCLUSION

We developed and validated a robust tool for predicting major LARS. This model could potentially be used in the clinic to identify patients with a high risk of developing major LARS and then improve the quality of life.

Advances in diagnosis and treatment of low anterior resection syndrome

Rectal cancer is one of the most common cancers. As much as 90% of patients with low rectal cancer complain of increased frequency of defecation, fecal incontinence, and evacuation problems after surgery, which is termed as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). LARS detrimentally affects the quality of life for patients with rectal cancer. In this paper, we review the pathogenesis, risk factors, assessment tools, and treatment strategies for LARS.

Quality of life among colorectal cancer survivors participating in a pilot randomized controlled trial of a web-based dietary intervention with text messages

PURPOSE

We aimed to estimate the effect of a 12-week web-based dietary intervention with text messages on quality of life (QoL) among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors.

METHODS

Between 2017 and 2018, 50 CRC survivors were randomized (1:1) to receive a 12-week web-based dietary intervention with daily text messages or wait-list control. Health-related QoL was assessed using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and colorectal quality of life module (QLQ-CR29) at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks. Within- and between-group mean changes in health-related QoL with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for both arms.

RESULTS

Compared to the controls, participants receiving the intervention had an improvement in emotional functioning (mean change: 14.3; 95% CI: 3.0, 25.6) at 12 weeks and social functioning (mean change: 13.8; 95% CI: 2.1, 25.5) at 24 weeks. A decrease of fatigue from baseline was also observed in the intervention arm (mean change: - 9.1; 95% CI: - 17.1, - 1.1) at 24 weeks. No other changes in QoL scores were associated with the intervention.

CONCLUSION

CRC survivors randomized to receive a web-based dietary intervention with text messages experienced higher emotional and social functioning. Further study with a larger population may be warranted.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02965521. Registered 16 November 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/keydates/NCT02965521.

Effect of Neoadjuvant Therapy on the Functional Outcome of Patients With Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

AIMS

The impact of neoadjuvant therapy on the functional outcome of patients with resectable rectal cancer is still controversial. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of neoadjuvant therapy on anorectal function (ARF), urinary function and sexual function in relevant patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched systematically. All English-language studies, published from January 2000 to July 2021, that explored the (postoperative) effects of neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront surgery on ARF, urinary function and sexual function of patients were included (PROSPERO 2021: CRD42021281617).

RESULTS

The data in this study were derived from 37 articles based on 33 studies; in total, 17 917 patients were enrolled. The meta-analysis revealed that the incidence of anorectal dysfunction in the neoadjuvant therapy group was significantly higher than that in the group of upfront surgery, which was manifested by a higher incidence of major low anterior resection syndrome (odds ratio = 3.09, 95% confidence interval = 2.48, 3.84; P < 0.001), reduction of mean squeeze pressure and mean resting pressure, and other manifestations, including clustering of stools, incontinence, urgency and use of pads. With the extension of follow-up time, the adverse effects of neoadjuvant therapy on major low anterior resection syndrome existed. Compared with patients undergoing upfront surgery, neoadjuvant therapy increased the risk of urinary incontinence (odds ratio = 1.31, 95% confidence interval = 1.00, 1.72; P = 0.05) and erectile dysfunction (odds ratio = 1.77, 95% confidence interval = 1.27, 2.45; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Compared with upfront surgery, neoadjuvant therapy is not only associated with impairment of ARF, but also with increased incidence of urinary incontinence and male erectile dysfunction. However, the influence of confounding factors (e.g. surgical method, tumour stage) needs to be considered.

A novel nomogram to predict low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) after ileostomy reversal for rectal cancer patients

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) in patients undergoing low or ultra-low anterior resection (LAR) is a common problem and significantly impacts the quality of life. Patients with an ileostomy after LAR are more likely to develop LARS. However, there hasn't been a model predicting LARS occurrence in these patients. This study aims to construct a nomogram to predict the probability of LARS occurrence in patients with temporary ileostomy and guide preventive strategies before reversal.

METHODS

168 patients undergoing LAR with ileostomy from one center were enrolled as the training cohort, and 134 patients of the same inclusion criteria from another center were enrolled as the validation cohort. The training cohort was screened for risk factors for major LARS using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The nomogram was constructed using the filtered variables, the ROC curve was used to describe the model's discrimination, and the calibration was used to describe the accuracy.

RESULTS

The optimal cut-off value for stoma closure time was 128 days. Three risk factors were identified using logistic regression analysis: preoperative radiotherapy (OR = 3.038, [95%CI 1.75-5.015], P = 0.005), stoma closure time (OR = 2.298, [95%CI 1.088-4.858], P = 0.029) and pN stage (OR = 1.739, [95%CI 1.235-3.980], P = 0.001). A nomogram was constructed based on these three variables and showed good performance predicting major LARS after stoma reversal. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.827 in the training group and 0.821 in the validation group; The calibration curve suggested good precision in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This novel nomogram can accurately predict the probability of major LARS occurrence after ileostomy reversal for rectal cancer patients. This model can help screen ileostomy patients with high risks and guide individualized preventive strategies before stoma reversal.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Excision, and Observation for Early Rectal Cancer: The Phase II NEO Trial (CCTG CO.28) Primary End Point Results

PURPOSE

Organ-sparing therapy for early-stage I/IIA rectal cancer is intended to avoid functional disturbances or a permanent ostomy associated with total mesorectal excision (TME). The objective of this phase II trial was to determine the outcomes and organ-sparing rate of patients with early-stage rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by transanal excision surgery (TES).

METHODS

This phase II trial included patients with clinical T1-T3abN0 low- or mid-rectal adenocarcinoma eligible for endoscopic resection who were treated with 3 months of chemotherapy (modified folinic acid-fluorouracil-oxaliplatin 6 or capecitabine-oxaliplatin). Those with evidence of response proceeded to transanal endoscopic surgery 2-6 weeks later. The primary end point was protocol-specified organ preservation rate, defined as the proportion of patients with tumor downstaging to ypT0/T1N0/X and who avoided radical surgery.

RESULTS

Of 58 patients enrolled, all commenced chemotherapy and 56 proceeded to surgery. A total of 33/58 patients had tumor downstaging to ypT0/1N0/X on the surgery specimen, resulting in an intention-to-treat protocol-specified organ preservation rate of 57% (90% CI, 45 to 68). Of 23 remaining patients recommended for TME surgery on the basis of protocol requirements, 13 declined and elected to proceed directly to observation resulting in 79% (90% CI, 69 to 88) achieving organ preservation. The remaining 10/23 patients proceeded to recommended TME of whom seven had no histopathologic residual disease. The 1-year and 2-year locoregional relapse-free survival was, respectively, 98% (95% CI, 86 to 100) and 90% (95% CI, 58 to 98), and there were no distant recurrences or deaths. Minimal change in quality of life and rectal function scores was observed.

CONCLUSION

Three months of induction chemotherapy may successfully downstage a significant proportion of patients with early-stage rectal cancer, allowing well-tolerated organ-preserving surgery.

Development of prediction model of low anterior resection syndrome for colorectal cancer patients after surgery based on machine-learning technique

BACKGROUND

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a common postoperative complication in patients with colorectal cancer, which seriously affects their postoperative quality of life. At present, the aetiology of LARS is still unclear, but some risk factors have been studied. Accurate prediction and early management of medical intervention are keys to improving the quality of life of such high-risk patients.

OBJECTIVES

Based on machine-learning methods, this study used the follow-up results of postoperative patients with colorectal cancer to develop prediction models for LARS and conducted a comparative analysis between the different models.

METHODS

A total of 382 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer and undergoing surgery at West China Hospital from April 2017 to December 2020 were retrospectively selected as the development cohort. Logistic regression, support vector machine, decision tree, random forest and artificial neural network algorithms were used to construct the prediction models of the obtained dataset. The models were internally validated using cross-validation. The area under the curve and Brier score measures were used to evaluate and compare the differentiation and calibration degrees of the models. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the different models were described for clinical use.

RESULTS

A total of 342 patients were included, the incidence of LARS being 47.4% (162/342) during the six-month follow-up. After feature selection, the factors influencing the occurrence of LARS were found to be location, distance, diverting stoma, exsufflation and surgical type. The prediction models based on five machine-learning methods all showed acceptable performance.

CONCLUSIONS

The five models developed based on the machine-learning methods showed good prediction performance. However, considering the simplicity of clinical use of the model results, the logistic regression model is most recommended. The clinical applicability of these models will also need to be evaluated with external cohort data.

The Effectiveness of a Self-management Program of Bowel Dysfunction in Patients With Mid and Low Rectal Cancer After Sphincter-Preserving Surgery: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Most patients with mid and low rectal cancer passively react to bowel symptoms after sphincter-preserving surgery (SPS), and their self-management behaviors are scarce in the Chinese patient population.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a self-management program for bowel symptoms in patients with mid and low rectal cancer after SPS.

METHODS

A convenient sampling method was used to recruit patients with mid and low rectal cancer after SPS in gastric wards from 2 tertiary hospitals in Beijing, China. Ninety-five patients (intervention, n = 47; control, n = 48) were recruited. The intervention group received a predetermined self-management program plus routine postoperative care; the control group received only routine care in the ward. Data on patients' bowel symptoms, quality of life, and bowel symptom self-management behaviors were collected at baseline and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively using questionnaires. A generalized estimating equation was adopted to examine group effect and time effect.

RESULTS

Bowel symptoms and quality of life in both the intervention and control groups of patients improved significantly 6 months after SPS compared with baseline (time effect, P < .001). The total score of patients' bowel symptom self-management behaviors and the score of the therapeutic domain increased significantly in the intervention group compared with those in the control group (group effect, P = .009).

CONCLUSIONS

Self-management programs could help prompt patients' self-management behaviors, but the extent to which they impact patients' bowel symptoms requires further investigation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The bowel dysfunction self-management program could alter the behavior of patients. It also effectively improves self-management strategies for bowel symptoms.

Defunctioning stoma in rectal cancer surgery - A risk factor for Low Anterior Resection Syndrome?

BACKGROUND

In rectal cancer surgery the formation of a defunctioning stoma is common in order to reduce the consequences of an anastomotic leakage. The role of a defunctioning stoma and time to stoma reversal, in relation to major Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) in the long-term perspective, is still unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between a defunctioning stoma and long-term bowel function.

METHOD

Patients who underwent curative rectal cancer surgery between 2007 and 2013 in Stockholm county, Sweden, who had no history of anastomotic leakage, without a remaining stoma, free of cancer and alive in April 2017 were eligible for the study. The exposures were (i) use of defunctioning stoma at cancer surgery and (ii) time to stoma reversal. Main outcome was major LARS with information retrieved from the LARS score questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) primary comparing major LARS to no LARS.

RESULTS

A total of 430 patients were included in analysis. The mean follow-up time was 6.7 years after surgery (range 3.4-10.7 years). The use of a defunctioning stoma was associated to major LARS with an adjusted OR of 2.43 (95% CI 1.14-5.20) when compared to no stoma. There were no evident associations between time to stoma reversal and the risk of major LARS.

CONCLUSION

This study indicates that the presence of a defunctioning stoma is associated with impaired bowel function in the long-term perspective, while failing to show any clear association to time to stoma reversal.

High Risk of Low Anterior Resection Syndrome in Long-term Follow-up After Anastomotic Leakage in Anterior Resection for Rectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Low anterior resection syndrome is common after sphincter-sparing surgery, but it is unclear to what extent anastomotic leakage after anterior resection contributes to this condition.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to assess the long-term effect of anastomotic leakage on the occurrence of major low anterior resection syndrome.

DESIGN

This is a retrospective observational cohort study evaluating low anterior resection syndrome 4 to 11 years after index surgery. After propensity score-matching using the covariates sex, age, tumor stage, comorbidity, neoadjuvant treatment, extent of mesorectal excision, and defunctioning stoma at index surgery, the effect of anastomotic leakage on low anterior resection syndrome was investigated using relative risk and 95% CI.

SETTINGS

This multicenter study included patients from 15 Swedish hospitals between 2007 and 2013.

PATIENTS

Patients who underwent anterior resection for rectal cancer were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Outcome measures included patient-reported major low anterior resection syndrome, obtained via a postal questionnaire that included a question on stoma status.

RESULTS

Among 1099 patients, 653 (59.4%) responded in at a median of 83.5 (interquartile range 66 to 110) months postoperatively. After excluding patients with residual stoma or incomplete responses, 544 remained; of these, 42 had anastomotic leakage. Patients with anastomotic leakage were more likely to have major low anterior resection syndrome (66.7% [28/42]) than patients without leakage (45.8% [230/502]). After matching, anastomotic leakage was significantly related to major low anterior resection syndrome (relative risk 2.3; 95% CI 1.4-3.9) and the individual symptom of urgency (relative risk 2.1; 95% CI 1.1-4.1).

LIMITATIONS

This study was limited by its retrospective observational study design.

CONCLUSIONS

In long-term follow-up, major low anterior resection syndrome is common after anterior resection for rectal cancer. Anastomotic leakage appears to increase the risk of major low anterior resection syndrome, with urgency as a major contributing symptom. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B868 .

ALTO RIESGO DE SNDROME DE RESECCIN ANTERIOR BAJA EN EL SEGUIMIENTO A LARGO PLAZO TRAS FUGA ANASTOMTICA EN RESECCIN ANTERIOR POR CNCER DE RECTO

ANTECEDENTES:El síndrome de resección anterior baja es común después de una cirugía con preservación de esfínter pero no está claro hasta qué punto contribuye a esta condición la fuga anastomótica después de una resección anterior.OBJETIVO:El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar el efecto a largo plazo de la fuga anastomótica sobre la aparición de un síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor.DISEÑO:Se trata de un estudio de cohorte observacional retrospectivo que evalúa el síndrome de resección anterior baja 4-11 años después de la cirugía índice. Después del apareamiento por puntuación de propensión utilizando las covariables sexo, edad, estadio del tumor, comorbilidad, tratamiento neoadyuvante, extensión de la escisión mesorrectal y estoma de derivación en la cirugía índice, se investigó el efecto de la fuga anastomótica en el síndrome de resección anterior baja utilizando el riesgo relativo y intervalos de confianza de 95%.AJUSTES:Este estudio multicéntrico incluyó pacientes de 15 hospitales suecos entre 2007 y 2013.PACIENTES:Se incluyeron pacientes que fueron sometidos a resección anterior por cáncer de recto.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE DESENLACE:Síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor informado por el paciente, obtenido a través de un cuestionario postal que incluye una pregunta sobre el estado de estomas.RESULTADOS:De 1099 pacientes, 653 (59,4%) respondieron una mediana de 83,5 meses después de la operación (rango intercuartílico 66-110).Después de excluir a los pacientes con estoma residual o respuestas incompletas, quedaron 544; de estos, 42 tuvieron fuga anastomótica. Los pacientes con fuga anastomótica tenían síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor en el 66,7% (28/42) en comparación con el 45,8% (230/502) de los pacientes sin fuga. Después del apareamiento, la fuga anastomótica se relacionó significativamente con el síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor (riesgo relativo 2,3; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 1,4-3,9) y con el síntoma individual de urgencia (riesgo relativo 2,1; intervalo de confianza del 95% 1,1-4,1).LIMITACIONES:Este estudio estuvo limitado por su diseño de estudio observacional retrospectivo.CONCLUSIONES:En el seguimiento a largo plazo, el síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor es común después de la resección anterior por cáncer de recto. La fuga anastomótica parece aumentar el riesgo de síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor, siendo la urgencia uno de los principales síntomas contribuyentes. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B868 . (Traducción-Dr. Juan Carlos Reyes ).

Anterior Resection Syndrome and Quality of Life With Long-term Follow-up After Rectal Cancer Resection

BACKGROUND

Surgical and systemic therapies continue to advance, enabling restorative resections for distal rectal cancer. These operations are associated with low anterior resection syndrome. Recent studies with methodological and size limitations have investigated the incidence of low anterior resection syndrome after anterior resection. However, the long-term trajectory of low anterior resection syndrome and its effect on health-related quality of life remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of anterior resection and reversal of ileostomy on long-term health-related quality of life and low anterior resection syndrome.

DESIGN

Patient demographics were analyzed alongside low anterior resection syndrome and health-related quality-of-life qualitative scores (EORTC-QLQ-C30) obtained through cross-sectional postal questionnaires.

SETTING

Patients who underwent anterior resection of the rectum for cancer with defunctioning ileostomy between 2003 and 2016 at 2 high-volume centers in the United Kingdom were identified, excluding those experiencing anastomotic leakage.

PATIENTS

Among 478 eligible patients, 311 (65.1%) participated at a mean of 6.5 ± 0.2 years after anterior resection. Demographics and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy rates were similar ( p > 0.05) between participants and nonparticipants.

RESULTS

The percentage of patients who experienced major low anterior resection syndrome was 53.4% (166/311). Health-related quality-of-life functional domain scores improved in the years after reversal of ileostomy, with significant changes in constipation ( p = 0.01), social function ( p = 0.03), and emotional scores ( p = 0.02), as well as a reduction in the prevalence of major low anterior resection syndrome ( p = 0.003).

LIMITATIONS

The main limitation of this study was that the data collected were cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, and that nonresponders may have had worse cancer symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

In this first large-scale study assessing long-term function after anterior resection and reversal of ileostomy, there is a linear improvement in major low anterior resection syndrome beyond 6 years, alongside improvements in key quality-of-life measures. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B825 .

SEGUIMIENTO A LARGO PLAZO DEL SNDROME DE RESECCIN ANTERIOR BAJA Y LA CALIDAD DE VIDA POR CNCER DE RECTO

ANTECEDENTES:Los tratamientos tanto quirúrgicos como sistémicos continúan evolucionando día a día, así éstos permiten resecciones restaurativas por cáncer de recto distal. Estas operaciones están asociadas con el síndrome de resección anterior baja. Estudios recientes con limitaciones tanto metodológicas como de talla han estudiado la incidencia del síndrome de resección anterior bajo post-quirúrgico. Sin embargo, la evolución a largo plazo del síndrome de resección anterior baja y su acción sobre la calidad de vida relacionadas con la salud siguen sin estar claros.OBJETIVO:Evaluar el impacto de la resección anterior baja y el cierre de la ileostomía en la calidad de vida relacionadas con la salud a largo plazo y el síndrome post-resección anterior.AJUSTE:Se incluyeron todos los pacientes sometidos a una reseccción anterior baja de recto por cáncer asociada a una ileostomía de protección entre 2003 y 2016 en dos centros de gran volumen en el Reino Unido, se excluyeron los pacientes que presentaron fuga anastomótica.DISEÑO:Se revisaron los datos demográficos de todos los pacientes que presentaban el síndrome de resección anterior baja, se revisaron las puntuaciones de la calidad de vida relacionadas con el estado general de salud (EORTC-QLQ-C30) obtenidas a través de cuestionarios transversales enviados por correo.PACIENTES:478 pacientes fueron escogidos, 311 (65,1%) participaron del estudio en una media de 6,5 ± 0,2 años después de la resección anterior. Las tasas demográficas y de radio-quimioterapia neoadyuvante fueron similares (p > 0,05) entre los participantes y los no participantes.RESULTADOS:El porcentaje de pacientes que experimentaron síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor fue del 53,4% (166/311).PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:Las puntuaciones funcionales en la calidad de vida relacionadas con estado general de salud mejoraron en los años posteriores al cierre de la ileostomía de protección, los cambios fueron significativos con relación al estreñimiento (p = 0,01), con relación a la actividad social (p = 0,03) y con las puntuaciones emocionales (p = 0,02), así como con la reducción de la prevalencia del síndrome de resección anterior baja mayor (p = 0,003).LIMITACIONES:La principal limitación del presente estudio mostró que los datos recopilados fueron transversales y no longitudinales, y que los pacientes no respondedores pueden haber tenido peores síntomas relacionados con el cáncer.CONCLUSIONES:Este primer estudio a gran escala, evalúa la función a largo plazo después de la resección anterior baja y el cierre de la ileostomía, demuestra una mejoría lineal en el síndrome de resección anterior baja de grado importante, más allá de los 6 años, asociado con la mejoría en las medidas clave de calidad de vida. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B825 . (Traducción-Dr. Xavier Delgadillo ).

Low anterior resection syndrome following rectal cancer surgery: are incidence and severity lower with long-term follow-up?

BACKGROUND

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a functional disorder that may follow restorative proctectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term incidence and risk factors for LARS following surgery for rectal cancer.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed on patients from a prospectively maintained database, who underwent a restorative proctectomy between January 2014 and December 2019 at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center. The study cohort was divided into two groups: patients following partial proctectomy with a partial mesorectal excision and a colorectal anastomosis (PME group) and patients following total proctectomy with total mesorectal excision and a coloanal anastomosis (TME group). The incidence and severity of LARS were evaluated using the LARS questionnaire. Risk factors for LARS were also evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 240 patients (male: female ratio 134:106, median age 64 years [interquartile range 55-71 years]) were included in the analysis. There were 160 patients in the PME group and 80 patients in the TME group. The overall incidence of LARS was 37.4% (26.5% major LARS and 10.9% minor LARS). Major LARS was observed in 53.8% of patients who underwent TME and in 12.7% of patients who underwent PME (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, distance of the anastomosis from the anal verge, TME, and neoadjuvant radiotherapy were independent prognostic factors for LARS. The incidence and severity of LARS were significantly lower in patients with longer follow-up (p = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Significant improvement in LARS can be expected with longer follow-up. Distance of the anastomosis from the anal verge, TME and neoadjuvant radiotherapy are independent risk factors for LARS.

The risk factors of low anterior resection syndrome after colorectal cancer surgery: A retrospective study of 566 patients in a single institution in China

PURPOSE

This study aims to identify the independent risk factors in the low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) after surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHOD

This was a retrospective, single-institution study in the Second Affiliation Hospital of Dalian Medical University, China. Patients underwent sphincter-preserving low anterior resection with total or partial mesorectal resection (with or without protective ileostomy) and completed a self-filled questionnaire over the phone to assess postoperative bowel dysfunction from January 2017 to December 2019. The predictors of LAR were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULT

The study population was 566 patients, 264 (46.64%), 224 (39.58%), and 78 (13.78%) patients with no, minor, and major LARS, respectively. In the univariate analysis, independent factors such as tumor location and size, anastomotic height, protective ileostomy, post-operation chemoradiotherapy, tumor T stage, lymphatic nodal metastasis classification, surgery duration, and time interval for closure of stoma were significantly associated with LARS points while we found the tumor T stage and lymphatic nodal metastasis classification as the new independent risk factors compared with the last decade studies. In the multivariate analysis, factors such as low and middle tumor location and protective ileostomy, and post operation treatment, nodal metastasis classification were the independent risk factors for major LARS.

CONCLUSION

The new independence risk factors were tumor T stage and lymphatic nodal metastasis status in univariate analysis in our study, with anastomotic height, low and middle tumor location, protective ileostomy, post-operation chemoradiotherapy, nodal metastasis status increasing LARS point in multivariate analysis after surgery for CRC.

The Longitudinal Course of Low-anterior Resection Syndrome: An individual Patient Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to better understand the longitudinal course of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) to guide patient expectations and identify those at risk of persisting dysfunction.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

LARS describes disordered bowel function after rectal resection that significantly impacts quality of life.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL databases were systematically searched for studies that enrolled adults undergoing anterior resection for rectal cancer and used the LARS score to assess bowel function at ≥2 postoperative time points. Regression analyses were performed on deidentified patient-level data to identify predictors of change in LARS score from baseline (3-6months) to 12-months and 18-24 months.

RESULTS

Eight studies with a total of 701 eligible patients were included. The mean LARS score improved over time, from 29.4 (95% confidence interval 28.6-30.1) at baseline to 16.6 at 36 months (95% confidence interval 14.2%-18.9%). On multivariable analysis, a greater improvement in mean LARS score between baseline and 12 months was associated with no ileostomy formation [mean difference (MD) -1.7 vs 1.7, P < 0.001], and presence of LARS (major vs minor vs no LARS) at baseline (MD -3.8 vs -1.7 vs 5.4, P < 0.001). Greater improvement in mean LARS score between baseline and 18-24 months was associated with partial mesorectal excision vs total mesorectal excision (MD-8.6 vs 1.5, P < 0.001) and presence of LARS (major vs minor vs no LARS) at baseline (MD -8.8 vs -5.3 vs 3.4, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

LARS improves by 18 months postoperatively then remains stable for up to 3 years. Total mesorectal excision, neoadjuvant radiotherapy, and ileostomy formation negatively impact upon bowel function recovery.

Development and evaluation of a Japanese prediction model for low anterior resection syndrome after rectal cancer surgery

Background

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is the most common complication after rectal cancer resection. We aimed to identify LARS' predictive factors and construct and evaluate a predictive model for LARS.

Methods

This retrospective study included patients with rectal cancer more than 1 year after laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery. We administered a questionnaire to evaluate the degree of LARS. In addition, we examined clinical characteristics with univariate and multivariate analysis to identify predictive factors for major LARS. Finally, we divided the obtained data into a learning set and a validation set. We constructed a predictive model for major LARS using the learning set and assessed the predictive accuracy of the validation set.

Results

We reviewed 160 patients with rectal cancer and divided them into a learning set (n = 115) and a validation set (n = 45). Univariate and multivariate analyses in the learning set showed that male (odds ratio [OR]: 2.88, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.11–8.09, p = 0.03), age < 75 years (OR: 5.87, 95%CI 1.14–47.25, p = 0.03) and tumors located < 8.5 cm from the AV (OR: 7.20, 95%CI 2.86–19.49, p < 0.01) were significantly related to major LARS. A prediction model based on the patients in the learning set was well-calibrated.

Conclusions

We found that sex, age, and tumor location were independent predictors of major LARS in Japanese patients that underwent rectal cancer surgery. Our predictive model for major LARS could aid medical staff in educating and treating patients with rectal cancer before and after surgery.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-022-02295-w.

Impact of defecation dysfunction on quality of life in mid-low rectal cancer patients following sphincter-sparing surgery

Objectives

A large proportion of mid-low rectal cancer patients develop low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) after Sphincter-sparing surgery. This study aimed to investigate the effect of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) on quality of life (QoL) in Chinese rectal cancer patients following sphincter-sparing surgery.

Methods

This was a comparative cross-sectional study. Between Jan 2019 to Jun 2020, 146 mid-low rectal cancer patients following sphincter-sparing surgery were enrolled. The low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score was used to assess bowel dysfunction. According to the LARS score, patients were divided into three levels, no LARS (n ​= ​34), minor LARS (n ​= ​60), and major LARS (n ​= ​52). The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal (FACT-C) was used to assess the QoL of the patients.

Results

The major LARS group had a significantly shorter level of tumor from the dentate line than the no LARS group. The total FACT-C score of 146 patients was 98.45 ​± ​17.83. The total FACT-C score and the score of each dimension (physical, emotional, functional dimensions, and colorectal cancer subscale) were significantly different between the minor LARS and major LARS groups, as well as between the no LARS and major LARS groups. Subgroups analyses of the FACT-C score stratified by each item in the LARS scales showed that except for flatus incontinence, patients with different frequencies of other symptoms (bowel frequency, liquid stool incontinence, liquid stool incontinence, stool clustering, urgent bowel movement) had a significantly different total score of FACT (all P ​< ​0.01).

Conclusions

The LARS had a significant impact on the QoL in Chinese mid-low rectal cancer patients following sphincter-sparing surgery, especially in patients with major LARS.

Quality of life in a randomized trial comparing two neoadjuvant regimens for locally advanced rectal cancer-INCAGI004

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoCRT) followed by surgery is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), but the emergence of different drug regimens may result in different response rates. Good clinical response translates into greater sphincter preservation, but quality of life (QOL) may be impaired after treatment due to chemoradiotherapy and surgical side effects.

OBJECTIVE

To prospectively evaluate the impact of clinical response and surgical resection on QOL in a randomized trial comparing two different neoCRT regimens.

METHODS

Stage II and III rectal cancer patients were randomized to receive neoCRT with either capecitabine (group 1) or 5-Fu and leucovorin (group 2) concomitant to long-course radiotherapy. Clinical downstaging was accessed using MRI 6-8 weeks after treatment. EORTCs QLQ-C30 and CR38 were applied before treatment (T0), after neoCRT (T1), after rectal resection (T2), early after adjuvant chemotherapy (T3), and 1 year after the end of treatment or stoma closure (T4). The Wexner scale was used for fecal incontinence evaluation at T4. A C30SummaryScore (Geisinger and cols.) was calculated to compare QOL results.

RESULTS

Thirty-two patients were assigned to group 1 and 31 to group 2. Clinical downstaging occurred in 70.0% of group 1 and 53.3% of group 2 (p = 0.288), and sphincter preservation was 83.3% in group 1 and 80.0% in group 2 (p = 0.111). No significant difference in QOL was detected when comparing the two treatment groups after neoCRT using QLQ-C30. However, the CR38 module detected differences in micturition problems (15.3 points), gastrointestinal problems (15.3 points), defecation problems (11.8 points), and sexual satisfaction (13.3 points) favoring the capecitabine group. C30SummaryScore detected significant improvement comparing T0 to T1 and deterioration comparing T1 to T2 (p = 0.025). The mean Wexner scale score was 9.2, and a high score correlated with symptoms of diarrhea and defecation problems at T4.

CONCLUSIONS

QOL was equivalent between groups after neoCRT except for micturition problems, gastrointestinal problems, defecation problems, and sexual satisfaction favoring the capecitabine arm after. The overall QOL using the C30SummaryScore was improved after neoCRT, but decreased following rectal resection, returning to basal levels at late evaluation. Fecal incontinence was high after sphincter preservation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03428529.

Endoluminal vacuum-assisted therapy to treat rectal anastomotic leakage: A critical analysis

Endoluminal vacuum-assisted therapy (EVT) has been introduced recently to treat colorectal anastomotic leaks in clinically stable non-peritonitic patients. Its application has been mainly reserved to low colorectal and colo-anal anastomoses. The main advantage of this new procedure is to ensure continuous drainage of the abscess cavity, to promote and to accelerate the formation of granulation tissue resulting in a reduction of the abscess cavity. The reported results are promising allowing a higher preservation of the anastomosis when compared to conventional treatments that include trans-anastomotic tube placement, percutaneous drainage, endoscopic clipping of the anastomotic defect or stent placement. Nevertheless, despite this procedure is gaining acceptance among the surgical community, indications, inclusion criteria and definitions of success are not yet standardized and extremely heterogeneous, making it difficult to reach definitive conclusions and to ascertain which are the real benefits of this new procedure. Moreover, long-term and functional results are poorly reported. The present review is focused on critically analyzing the theoretical benefits and risks of the procedure, short- and long-term functional results and future direction in the application of EVT.

Bowel Dysfunction after Low Anterior Resection for Colorectal Cancer: A Frequent Late Effect of Surgery Infrequently Treated

BACKGROUND

The development of major low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) after low anterior resection is severely detrimental to quality of life, yet awareness of it by clinicians and patients and the frequency of treatment of LARS is unclear.

STUDY DESIGN

Patients who underwent low anterior resection for sigmoid or rectal cancer at a tertiary center between 2007 and 2017 (n = 798) were surveyed in 2019 to assess LARS symptoms and report medications or treatment received for LARS. LARS scores were calculated (score range 0-42) and normalized to published data on LARS prevalence in the general population in Europe, stratified by age (<50 or ≥50) and sex.

RESULTS

Of the 594 patients (74%) who returned the survey, 255 (43%) were identified as having major LARS (LARS score ≥30). This prevalence was significantly higher than published normative data from Denmark and Amsterdam when stratified by age greater than or less than 50 and sex. Patients with major LARS infrequently reported current use of first-line therapies (antidiarrheal medications 32%, fiber supplements 16%, and both 13%). Only 3% reported receiving second-line therapy of transanal irrigations and/or pelvic floor rehabilitation, and only 1% had undergone third-line therapy of sacral nerve stimulator implantation.

CONCLUSION

Major LARS is common yet seemingly underrecognized by clinicians because less than half of patients are on first-line therapy and practically none are on second- and third-line therapies. Long-term follow-up of patients after low anterior resection, improved preoperative and postoperative education, and continued symptom assessment is necessary to improve treatment of major LARS.

Functional Bowel Complaints and the Impact on Quality of Life After Colorectal Cancer Surgery in the Elderly

Background

The Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) is commonly reported after colorectal cancer surgery and significantly impairs quality of life. The prevalence and impact of LARS in the elderly after rectal cancer as well as colon cancer surgery is unclear. We aimed to describe the prevalence of LARS complaints and the impact on quality of life in the elderly after colorectal cancer surgery.

Materials and Methods

Patients were included from seven Dutch hospitals if they were at least one year after they underwent colorectal cancer surgery between 2008 and 2015. Functional bowel complaints were assessed by the LARS score. Quality of life was assessed by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CR29 questionnaires. Outcomes in patients ≥70 years were compared to a reference group of patients <70 years.

Results

In total 440 rectal cancer and 1183 colon cancer patients were eligible for analyses, of whom 133 (30.2%) rectal and 536 (45.3%) colon cancer patients were ≥70 years. Major LARS was reported by 40.6% of rectal cancer and 22.2% of colon cancer patients ≥70 years. In comparison, patients <70 years reported major LARS in 57.3% after rectal cancer surgery (p=0.001) and in 20.4% after colon cancer surgery (p=0.41). Age ≥70 years was independently associated with reduced rates of major LARS after rectal cancer surgery (OR 0.63, p=0.04). Patients with major LARS reported significantly impaired quality of life on almost all domains.

Conclusion

Elderly should not be withheld a restorative colorectal cancer resection based on age alone. However, a substantial part of the elderly colorectal cancer patients develops major LARS after surgery, which often severely impairs quality of life. Since elderly frequently consider quality of life and functional outcomes as one of the most important outcomes after treatment, major LARS and its impact on quality of life should be incorporated in the decision-making process.

Effects of Preoperative Radiotherapy on Long-Term Bowel Function in Patients With Rectal Cancer Treated With Anterior Resection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Anterior resection is a common surgical approach used in rectal cancer surgery; however, this procedure is known to cause bowel injury and dysfunction. Neoadjuvant therapy is widely used in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. In this study, we determined the effect of preoperative radiotherapy on long-term bowel function in patients who underwent anterior resection for treatment of rectal cancer. Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases. A random-effects model was used in the meta-analysis by the Review Manager software, version 5.3. Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis included 12 studies, which used low anterior resection syndrome score with a total of 2349 patients. Based on them, we concluded that low anterior resection syndrome was significantly more common in the preoperative radiotherapy group (odds ratio 3.59, 95% confidence interval 2.68-4.81, P < .00001) and that major low anterior resection syndrome also occurred significantly more frequently in the preoperative radiotherapy group (odds ratio 3.28, 95% confidence interval 2.05-5.26, P < .00001). Subgroup analyses of long-course radiation, total mesorectal excision, and non-metastatic tumors were performed, and the results met the conclusions of the primary outcomes. Conclusions: Preoperative radiotherapy negatively affects long-term bowel function in patients who undergo anterior resection for rectal cancer.

The Role of Traditional Acupuncture in Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Treatment: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

There is limited evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture in bowel dysfunction treatment.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the potential value of acupuncture in the treatment of low anterior resection syndrome.

DESIGN

This was an open-design pilot study.

SETTINGS

This was a single-center study.

PATIENTS

Nine (5 female) patients with major low anterior resection syndrome were included.

INTERVENTIONS

All patients underwent acupuncture by a trained specialist once a week for 10 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Bowel function was assessed by using the low anterior resection syndrome score and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center bowel function instrument before the procedure, just after finishing the course of acupuncture, and 6 months after the treatment.

RESULTS

The average age was 56.44 (50-65; SD ±5.4). Median age was 56 years. At the end of the procedure, all patients reported significant improvement in low anterior resection syndrome symptoms: the average low anterior resection syndrome score before acupuncture was 39 (±2.7), after acupuncture it was 30.3 (±10.6), and 6 months after acupuncture it was 7.22 (±10.244; p < 0.000). The average Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center bowel function instrument score before acupuncture was 55.33 (±11.55), after the procedure it was 60 (±14.97), and 6 months later it was 70.22 (±12.2; p < 0.000).

LIMITATIONS

The small sample size and the fact that this is a single-center nonblinded study are limitations of this work.

CONCLUSIONS

Acupuncture may be effective in low anterior resection syndrome treatment and needs further evaluation. The procedure is safe and feasible. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B700.

REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03916549.

EL PAPEL DE LA ACUPUNTURA TRADICIONAL EN EL TRATAMIENTO DEL SNDROME DE RESECCIN ANTERIOR BAJA UN ESTUDIO PILOTO

ANTECEDENTES:Existe evidencia limitada sobre la eficacia de la acupuntura para el tratamiento de la disfunción intestinal.OBJETIVO:El objetivo de este estudio piloto fue investigar el valor potencial de la acupuntura en el tratamiento del síndrome de resección anterior baja.DISEÑO:Este fue un estudio piloto de diseño abiertoAJUSTES:Este fue un estudio en un solo centroPACIENTES:Fueron incluidos nueve pacientes con síndrome de resección anterior baja (muy sintomáticos), cinco de ellos eran mujeresINTERVENCIONES:Todos los pacientes fueron tratados con acupuntura, una vez a la semana durante diez semanas por un especialista capacitado.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:La función intestinal fue evaluada, antes del procedimiento, justo al finalizar el ciclo de acupuntura y a los seis meses, utilizando la puntuación (score) para el síndrome de resección anterior baja y el instrumento de función intestinal del Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.RESULTADOS:La edad media fue 56,44 (50 - 65) (DE ± 5,4). Edad mediana 56 años. Al final del procedimiento, todos los pacientes manifestaron una mejoría significativa de los síntomas del síndrome de resección anterior baja: La puntuación promedio del síndrome de resección anterior baja antes de la acupuntura fue 39 (± 2,7), después de - 30,3 (± 10,6) y 6 meses después de 7,22 (± 10,244) (p <0,000). El puntaje promedio del instrumento de función intestinal del Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center antes de la acupuntura fue 55.33 (± 11.55), después del procedimiento 60 (± 14.97) y 6 meses después 70.22 (± 12.2) (p <0,000).LIMITACIONES:Tamaño de muestra pequeño, estudio no cegado en un solo centro.CONCLUSIONES:La acupuntura puede ser eficaz en el tratamiento del síndrome de resección anterior baja, pero es necesario continuar evaluando su utilidad. El procedimiento es seguro y factible. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B700.

Low anterior resection syndrome: can it be prevented?

Surgery remains the cardinal treatment in colorectal cancers but changes in bowel habits after rectal cancer surgery are common and disabling conditions that affect patients' quality of life. Low anterior resection syndrome is a disorder of bowel function after rectal resection resulting in a lowering of the QoL and recently has been defined by an international working group not only by specified symptoms but also by their consequences. This review aims to explore an extensive bibliographic research on preventive strategies for LARS. All "modifiable variables," quantified by the LARS Score, such as type of anastomosis, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical strategy, and diverting stoma, were evaluated, while "non-modifiable variables" such as age, sex, BMI, ASA, preoperative TMN, tumor height, and type of mesorectal excision were excluded from the comparative analysis. The role of defunctioning stoma, local excision, neoadjuvant radiotherapy, and non operative management seems to significantly affect risk of LARS, while type of anastomosis and surgical TME approach do not impact on LARS incidence or gravity in the long term period. Although it is established that some variables are associated with a greater onset of LARS, in clinical practice, technical difficulties and oncological limits often make difficult the application of some prevention plans. Transtomal irrigations, intraoperative neuromonitoring, pelvic floor rehabilitation before stoma closure, and early transanal irrigation represent new arguments of study in preventive strategies which could, if not eliminate the symptoms, at least mitigate them.

Assessment of long-term bowel dysfunction after restorative proctectomy for neoplastic disease: A population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to describe postoperative bowel dysfunction after restorative proctectomy, and to identify factors associated with its development.

METHODS

Patients who underwent restorative proctectomy for rectal cancer between April 1998 and November 2018 were identified from the Hospital Episode Statistics database and linked to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink for postoperative follow-up. Bowel dysfunction was defined according to relevant symptom-based read codes and medication prescription-product codes. A Cox proportional hazards model was performed to identify factors associated with postoperative bowel dysfunction, adjusting for relevant covariates.

RESULTS

In total, 2,197 patients were included. The median age was 70.0 (interquartile range: 62.0-77.0) years old, and the majority (59.2%) of patients were male. After a median follow-up of 51.6 (24.0-90.0) months, bowel dysfunction was identified in 620 (28.2%) patients. Risk factors for postoperative bowel dysfunction included extremes of age (<40 years old: adjusted hazards ratio 2.35, 95% confidence interval 1.18-4.65; 70-79 years old: adjusted hazards ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.52), radiotherapy (adjusted hazards ratio 1.94, 95% confidence interval 1.56-2.42), distal tumors (adjusted hazards ratio 1.62, 95% confidence interval 1.34-1.94), history of diverting ostomy (adjusted hazards ratio 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.33-1.89), and anastomotic leak (adjusted hazards ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.05). A minimally invasive surgical approach was protective for postoperative bowel dysfunction (adjusted hazards ratio 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.53-0.86).

CONCLUSION

Bowel dysfunction was common after restorative proctectomy, and several patient, disease, and treatment-level factors were associated with its development.

Low Anterior Resection Syndrome: Predisposing Factors and Treatment

Bowel dysfunction after restorative proctectomy, commonly referred to as Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS), is a common long-term sequela of rectal cancer treatment that has a significant impact on quality of life. While the pathophysiology of LARS is poorly understood, its underlying cause is likely multifactorial, and there are numerous patient, tumor, and treatment-level factors associated with its development. In accordance with these risk factors, several strategies have been proposed to mitigate LARS postoperatively, including modifications in the technical approach to restorative proctectomy and advancements in the multidisciplinary care of rectal cancer. Furthermore, a clinically applicable pre-operative nomogram has been developed to estimate the risk of LARS postoperatively, which may help in counseling patients before surgery. The management of LARS begins with identifying those who manifest symptoms, as postoperative bowel dysfunction often goes unrecognized. This goal is best achieved with the systematic screening of patients using validated Patient-Reported Outcome Measures. Once a patient with LARS is identified, conservative management strategies should be implemented. When available, a dedicated LARS nurse and/or multidisciplinary team can be an invaluable resource in engaging patients and educating them regarding LARS self-care. If symptoms of LARS persist or worsen over time despite conservative measures, second-line interventions, such as transanal irrigation or pelvic floor rehabilitation, can be initiated. A small proportion of patients will ultimately require an intervention such as sacral neuromodulation or permanent colostomy for refractory, major LARS symptoms.

A nomogram to predict risk factors of frequent defecation early after ileostomy reversal for rectal cancer patients

Background

Defecation disorders after ileostomy reversal are among the most common complications for rectal cancer patients, and significantly diminish their quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with frequent defecation early after ileostomy reversal for rectal cancer patients.

Methods

We retrospectively collected the data of rectal cancer patients who underwent ileostomy reversal from January 2018 to December 2019 at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. We divided patients into two groups: a no frequent defecation group (≤7 times/day) and a frequent defecation group (>7 times/day).

Results

Of the 264 included patients, 59 patients (22.35%) had frequent defecation within 1 month after ileostomy closure and were defined as the frequent defecation group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender, age, hypertension, and diabetes. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that proctitis (P=0.04) and anastomotic stenosis (P=0.02) were independent risk factors for frequent defecation. Four factors, including proctitis, anastomotic stenosis, hypertension, and age were included to construct the nomogram. The consistency index of the nomogram was 0.949 and the area under the curve value was 0.623.

Conclusions

For rectal cancer patients, proctitis and anastomotic stenosis were correlated with frequent defecation within 1 month after ileostomy closure. Surgeons should pay attention to the rectal examination before ileostomy reversal surgery.

A novel bowel rehabilitation programme after total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: the BOREAL pilot study

AIM

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) following sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer has a high prevalence, with an impact on long-term bowel dysfunction and quality of life. We designed the bowel rehabilitation programme (BOREAL) as a proactive strategy to assess and treat patients with LARS. The BOREAL programme consists of a stepwise approach of escalating treatments: medical management (steps 0-1), pelvic floor physiotherapy, biofeedback and transanal irrigation (step 2), sacral nerve neuromodulation (step 3), percutaneous endoscopic caecostomy and anterograde enema (step 4) and definitive colostomy (step 5).

METHODS

A pilot study was undertaken to assess the feasibility of collecting LARS data routinely with the parallel implementation of the BOREAL programme. All patients who underwent total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer between February 2017 and March 2019 were included. LARS was assessed using the LARS score and the Wexner Faecal Incontinence score at 30 days and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months postoperatively. A good functional result was considered to be a combined LARS score <20 and/or a Wexner score <4.

RESULTS

In all, 137 patients were included. Overall compliance with the BOREAL programme was 72.9%. Major LARS decreased from 48% at 30 days postoperatively to 12% at 12 months, with a concomitant improvement in overall good function from 33% to 77%, P < 0.001. The majority of patients (n = 106, 77%) required medical management of their LARS.

CONCLUSION

The BOREAL programme demonstrates the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of implementing a responsive, stepwise programme for detecting and treating LARS.

Colorectal: Management of Postoperative Complications in Colorectal Surgery

The complications encountered in colorectal surgery can be categorized into early and late. The most consequential early complication is anastomotic leak, which can be managed with percutaneous drainage or reoperation, depending on the patient's clinical status. Other early complications include anastomotic bleeding, surgical site infection, ileus, postoperative urinary retention, and stoma-related complications. Most stoma-related complications can be managed without reoperation. Late complications, such as bowel dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, and anastomotic stricture, are usually managed expectantly and should be discussed in the preoperative setting. There is growing interest in prevention of postoperative outcomes with preoperative nutritional supplementation and prehabilitation.

Robotic rectal resection preserves anorectal function: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Improving survival rates in rectal cancer patients has generated a growing interest in functional outcomes after total mesorectal excision (TME). The well-established low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score assesses postoperative anorectal impairment after TME. Our meta-analysis is the first to compare bowel function after open, laparoscopic, transanal, and robotic TME.

METHODS

All studies reporting functional outcomes after rectal cancer surgery (LARS score) were included, and were compared with a consecutive series of robotic TME (n = 48).

RESULTS

Thirty-two publications were identified, including 5 565 patients. Anorectal function recovered significantly better within one year after robotic TME (3.8 [95%CI -9.709-17.309]) versus laparoscopic TME (26.4 [95%CI 19.524-33.286]), p = 0.006), open TME (26.0 [95%CI 24.338-29.702], p = 0.002) and transanal TME (27.9 [95%CI 22.127-33.669], p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Robotic TME enables better recovery of anorectal function compared to other techniques. Further prospective, high-quality studies are needed to confirm the benefits of robotic surgery.