Recent advances in malignant bowel obstruction: an interface of old and new

Palliative care in patients with ovarian cancer and bowel obstruction

OBJECTIVE

Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is usually a pre-terminal event in patients with ovarian cancer. However, because of the lack of data in literature, decisions around surgical intervention, non-resectional procedures, or medical treatment of MBO in patients with ovarian cancer cannot be lightly undertaken. We analyzed medical and surgical procedures, performance status, nutritional status, cachexia, and their prognostic value in this group of patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively selected all consecutive patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who received medical or surgical treatment for MBO between October 2008 and January 2014 at the Academic Department of Gynecological Oncology of Mauriziano Hospital of Turin (Italy).

RESULTS

We found 40 patients: 18 of them underwent medical treatment and 22 of them were submitted to surgery. In the group of surgery, the hospitalization was shorter (p 0.02), the pain reduction was more effective (p 0.001), the number of chemotherapy lines was higher (p 0.03), and re-obstruction was more rare (p 0.02). Between the two groups, we did not find any differences in post-palliation episodes of vomit (p 0.83), type of diet (p 0.34), ability to return home (p 0.72), and death setting (p 0.28). Median survival after palliation was longer in the group of surgery (p 0.025). Cachexia, low performance status, and poor nutritional status were significant predictors of worse survival after MBO, independently by the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgery has to be considered in patients without serious contraindications; otherwise, a medical protocol, including antisecretory drugs, is the standard of care in frail patients.

Surgical management for a malignant bowel obstruction with recurrent gastrointestinal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

A malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a common clinical complication in patients with recurrent gastrointestinal carcinoma, which has a poor prognosis and a limited life expectancy. This study considered the effectiveness of surgical management for MBO.

METHODS

This study reviewed the clinical course of 70 patients who underwent surgery for MBO and compared the outcomes in three groups: patients with (A) peritonitis carcinomatosis without manifest ascites, (B) peritonitis carcinomatosis with ascites, (C) local recurrence without peritonitis carcinomatosis.

RESULTS

The 1-year survival rate and median survival time (MST) in the patients in group A were 33.3% and 228 days, which was statistically longer than those (6.7% and 46 days) in the patients in group B (P = 0.026). The rate of the patients with possible oral intake of solid meals for 6 months and median oral intake periods were 45.4% and 161 days in patients in group A and 28.0% and 93 days in patients in group C. In contrast, 66.7% in group B could not take solid meals for more than 1 month, and five patients could not take solid meals at all.

CONCLUSION

Palliative operations for the patients with manifest ascites of MBO are risky and rarely effectively improve oral intake, but this is not considered to be a contraindication for surgical management. Informed consent is therefore important in the surgical management of MBO.