The impact of anastomotic leakage on oncology after curative anterior resection for rectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

High ligation versus low ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery in laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery: a retrospective study on surgical and long-term outcome

BACKGROUND

In laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer surgery, there has been controversy to whether the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) should be ligated at the origin of its aorta (high ligation (HL)) or below the branches of the left colonic artery (LCA) (low ligation (LL)). This study was intended to clarify oncological outcome and long-term prognosis of retrospective analysis.

METHODS

Analyzed the cases who underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection (LAR) in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital from January 2015 to December 2016, 357patients scheduled into 2 groups according to the level of IMA ligation: HL (n = 247) versus LL (n = 110).

RESULTS

The primary endpoint is long-term outcomes, and the secondary endpoint is the incidence rate of major postoperative complications. There were no significant differences in 5-year overall survival (P = 0.92) and 5-year disease-free survival (P = 0.41). There were no differences between the clinical baseline levels in each group. The incidence of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) in the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.037). No significant differences were observed in operative time (P = 0.092) and intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.118). In the HL group, 6 cases (2.4%) had additional colonic excision due to poor anastomotic blood supply; none of the colonic anastomosis in the low ligation group had ischemic manifestations, and length from the proximal margin (P = 0.076), length from the distal margin (P = 0.184), the total number of lymph nodes excised (P = 0.065), and anastomotic leakage incidence (P = 0.33).

CONCLUSION

Low ligation of the IMA which reserved LCA with vascular root lymph node dissection in laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer surgery may help protect the blood supply of the anastomosis, and will not increase postoperative complications while enhance recovery, without compromising radical excision and long-term prognosis.

Effects of wound infection on prognosis after laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection of rectal cancer

Background

In two facilities in Chongqing, this research sought to retrospectively evaluate the effects of perineal wound infection on survival after laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection (LAPR) of rectal cancer.

Methods

To obtain clinical information on patients who underwent LAPR between January 2013 and December 2021, we performed a multicenter cohort study. A total of 473 patients were enrolled: 314 in the non-infection group and 159 in the group with perineal infection. The general data, perioperative conditions, and tumor outcomes between groups were analyzed. The infection rates, recurrence rates, and survival rates of the two centers were compared.

Results

The age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), preoperative complications, preoperative treatment, and intraoperative conditions of patients in the LAPR infection group were not statistically different from those in the non-infection group. The percentage of men, typical postoperative hospital stay, length of initial postoperative therapy, and recurrence and metastasis rates were all considerably higher in the infection group than those in the non-infection group. Wound infection was an independent factor affecting tumor recurrence and metastasis after LAPR as well as an independent factor shortening patient survival time according to multivariate analysis. The incidence of wound infection, the rate of recurrence, and the rate of mortality did not vary significantly across sites.

Conclusion

Wound infection after LAPR increases the mean postoperative hospital stay, prolongs the time to first postoperative treatment, and decreases the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Therefore, decreasing the rate of LAPR wound infection is expected to shorten the postoperative hospital stay and prolong the patient DFS and OS. Patients with postoperative infection may require intensive adjuvant therapy.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy determines the prognostic impact of anastomotic leakage in advanced rectal cancer

Purpose

The prognostic impact of anastomotic leakage (AL) in rectal cancer remains uncertain. We investigated the prognostic significance of AL in rectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery, especially in terms of chemoradiotherapy.

Methods

A total of 1,818 rectal cancer patients who underwent radical surgery from 2011 to 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. We categorized patients according to AL and compared survival outcomes between the groups before and after matching. In locally advanced rectal cancer patients, we classified patients according to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) or adjuvant chemotherapy (aCTx) and analyzed survival outcomes according to AL in each group.

Results

Before matching, overall survival (OS) was significantly worse in the AL (+) group compared to the AL (–) group (P = 0.004). In matched patients, there were no differences in disease-free survival (DFS) and OS between groups (P = 0.423 and P = 0.083, respectively). In subgroup analysis for locally advanced rectal cancer, patients were classified as follows: nCRT (+) and aCTx (+) group; nCRT (+) and aCTx (–) group; nCRT (–) and aCTx (+) group; and nCRT (–) and aCTx (–) group. In the nCRT (–) and aCTx (+) group, patients with AL exhibited significantly worse DFS than patients without AL (P = 0.040). In the other 3 groups, there were no differences in DFS according to AL.

Conclusion

In locally advanced rectal cancer, AL had an adverse effect on oncologic outcome in patients receiving aCTx without nCRT but not in patients receiving nCRT.

An innovative and convenient technique to reduce anastomotic leakage after double stapling anastomosis: laparoscopic demucositized suture the overlapping point of the "dog ear" area

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a major cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate an innovative and convenient technique of laparoscopic demucositized suture the overlapping point of the "dog ear" area after the double stapling anastomosis (lds-DSA), as an improved alternative for conventional DSA, and whether it could reduce the AL rate in laparoscopic anterior resection (Lapa-AR). Between January 2018 and December 2020, a total of 245 patients who underwent Lapa-AR for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon or rectal cancer were divided into the lsd-DSA group (n = 99) and the DSA group (n = 146). Data were analyzed retrospectively. Morbidity, AL rate and other perioperative outcomes were compared between the two groups. Patient demographics, preoperative comorbidity, preoperative chemoradiotherapy, tumor size, stage, and other operative details were comparable between the two groups. There was no difference in surgical time between the two groups (196.41 ± 76.71 vs. 182.39 ± 49.10 min, p = 0.088). The overall complication rate was also without a difference (11/99, 11.11% vs. 21/146, 14.38%, p = 0.456), but AL rate significantly lower in the lsd-DSA group than in the DSA group (2/99, 2.02% vs. 12/146, 8.22%, p = 0.040). For other perioperative outcomes, the lsd-DSA group shortened the total and postoperative hospital stay, and the time to pull out drainage tube than in the DSA group. Our comparative study demonstrates lds-DSA to have a better short-term outcome in reducing AL compared with DSA. This technique could be an alternative approach to maximize the patients' benefit in Lapa-AR.

Oncological outcomes of rectal cancer patients with anastomotic leakage: A multicenter case-control study

Introduction

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of anastomotic leakage (AL) on oncological outcomes after restorative rectal cancer surgery.

Methods

Patients who underwent anterior resection for rectal adenocarcinoma between January 2011 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Data were collected from three colorectal surgery centers. Patients with grade B and C leaks according to the International Study Group of Rectal Cancer classification were identified and compared with the control group. Estimated recurrence and survival rates were compared using the log-rank method and Cox regression analysis.

Results

A total of 367 patients were included in the study, with a mean follow-up of 59.21 months. AL occurred in 64 patients (17.4%). Fifteen patients with AL (23.5%) developed local recurrence (LR) compared to 17 (4.8%) in the control group (p < 0.001). However, distant recurrence rates were similar (10.9% vs. 9.6%; p = 0.914) between the groups. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with AL had a reduced 5-years local recurrence-free survival (96% vs. 78%, log-rank p < 0.001). AL (OR 4.576; 95% CI, 2.046–10.237; p < 0.001) and node involvement (OR 2.911; 95% CI, 1.240–6.835; p = 0.014) were significantly associated with LR in multivariate analysis. AL was significantly associated with DFS only at univariate analysis (HR 1.654; 95% CI: 1.024–2.672; p = 0.037), with a difference between 5-year DFS of patients with and without AL (71.6% vs. 86.4%, log-rank p = 0.04). Only male gender, pT3-4 stage, and node involvement were identified as independent prognostic factors for reduced DFS in the multivariate Cox regression analysis.

Conclusion

In this cohort of patients, AL was associated with a significant risk of LR after rectal cancer surgery.

Analysis of Risk Factors for Anastomotic Leakage After Laparoscopic Anterior Resection of Rectal Cancer and Construction of a Nomogram Prediction Model

Objective

To explore the risk factors of anastomotic leakage (AL) after laparoscopic anterior resection (AR) of rectal cancer and establish a nomogram prediction model.

Methods

Clinical and surgical data of patients who underwent AR of rectal cancer at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2017 to December 2020 were retrospectively collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen the independent risk factors of AL after AR. A nomogram risk prediction model was established based on the selected independent risk factors and the predictive performance of nomogram was evaluated.

Results

A 1013 patients undergoing laparoscopic AR were included, of which 67 had AL, with an incidence of 6.6%. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that male gender, tumors distance from the anus verge of ≤ 5cm, tumors distance from the anus verge of 5–10cm, circumferential tumor growth, operation time ≥ 240min, and no diverting stoma were independent risk factors for AL after AR. A nomogram prediction model was established based on these results. The calibration curve showed that the predicted occurrence probability of the nomogram model was in good agreement with the actual occurrence probability. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.749.

Conclusion

The nomogram prediction model based on the independent risk factors of patients undergoing AL after AR can effectively predict the probability of AL.

Clinical effects of prophylactic transverse colostomy in patients undergoing completely laparoscopic transabdominal approach partial intersphincteric resection

Objective

To investigate the clinical effects of prophylactic transverse colostomy on gastrointestinal function recovery and complications in patients undergoing completely laparoscopic transabdominal approach partial intersphincteric resection (CLAPISR) of low rectal cancer.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 74 patients with low rectal cancer who were treated with prophylactic transverse colostomy (Group A, n = 34) or without prophylactic transverse colostomy (Group B, n = 40). Surgery-related indicators, nutritional status indicators, systemic stress response indicators, and complications were compared between the two groups.

Results

On postoperative day 5, the C-reactive protein concentration and white blood cell count were not significantly different between the two groups; however, the serum concentrations of total protein and albumin were higher in Group A than in Group B. Within 26 months postoperatively, the total incidence rate of complications was not significantly different, but the incidence rate of anastomotic leakage was lower in Group A than in Group B.

Conclusion

Prophylactic transverse colostomy based on CLAPISR can lead to faster recovery of gastrointestinal function, better improvement of postoperative nutritional indicators, and a lower incidence of anastomotic leakage. These characteristics are conducive to the rapid recovery of patients, making this procedure worthy of clinical application.

Intraoperative adverse events as a risk factor for local recurrence of rectal cancer after resection surgery

AIM

Failure to achieve a radical resection as well as intraoperative rectal perforation are important risk factors for local recurrence after rectal cancer surgery, but the importance of other intraoperative adverse events for the prognosis is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of intraoperative adverse events during rectal cancer surgery, and to determine whether these were associated with an increased risk of local recurrence.

METHODS

A retrospective population-based cohort study was undertaken, including all patients in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, who had undergone primary resection surgery for rectal cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2014, registered in the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry. Data were retrieved from the registry and through review of the medical records.

RESULTS

In total, 1208 patients were included in the study of whom 78 (6%) developed local recurrence during the follow-up period of at least 5 years. Intraoperative adverse events were common and occurred in 62/78 (79%) of patients with local recurrence compared to 604/1130 (53%) of patients without local recurrence. In multivariate analysis intraoperative adverse events were found to be an independent risk factor for local recurrence of rectal cancer, as were nonradical resection, a high pathological T stage, the presence of lymph node metastases, type of surgery and refraining from rectal washout during anterior resection and Hartmann's procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

Intraoperative adverse events were found to be an independent risk factor for local recurrence of rectal cancer and could possibly be used together with other known risk factors to select patients for intensified postoperative surveillance.

Clinical impact of the triple‐layered circular stapler for reducing the anastomotic leakage in rectal cancer surgery: Porcine model and multicenter retrospective cohort analysis

Aim

To investigate the impact of the triple‐layered circular stapler compared with the double‐layered circular stapler on anastomotic leakage after rectal cancer surgery.

Methods

The bursting pressure was compared between porcine ileocolic anastomoses created using a double‐ or triple‐layered stapler. We also retrospectively analyzed the incidence of severe anastomotic leakage in 194 patients who underwent colorectal anastomosis using a double‐ or triple‐layered circular stapler during rectal cancer resection performed in two cancer centers between January 2015 and April 2021.

Results

In the porcine model, the bursting pressure was higher in anastomoses created using the triple‐layered stapler than the double‐layered stapler (end‐to‐end anastomosis: 26.4 ± 6.2 mm Hg vs 14.5 ± 4.3 mm Hg, P = .0031; side‐to‐side anastomosis: 27.7 ± 5.0 mm Hg vs 18.0 ± 2.9 mm Hg, P = .0275). Intersectional leakage occurred in 41% and 83% of anastomoses created using the triple‐ or double‐layered stapler, respectively (P = .0821). In the clinical cohort, the double‐ and triple‐layered stapler was used in 153 and 41 patients, respectively. The incidence of anastomotic leakage was lower for anastomoses created using the triple‐layered stapler vs the double‐layered stapler (0.0% vs 5.8%, P = .0362). In multivariate analysis, the factors independently associated with a lower incidence of anastomotic leakage were female sex (odds ratio: 0.16, 95% confidence interval: 0.01‐0.90, P = .0354) and triple‐layered stapler usage (odds ratio: 0.00, 95% confidence interval: 0.00‐0.96, P = .0465).

Conclusion

Anastomoses created using a triple‐layered circular stapler had high bursting pressure, which might contribute to a lower incidence of anastomotic leakage after rectal cancer surgery.

Fluorescence-guided cancer surgery-A new paradigm

Fluorescence-guided surgery is an emerging and promising operative adjunct to assist the surgeon in various aspects of oncosurgery, ranging from assessing perfusion, identification, and characterization of tumors and peritoneal metastases, mapping of lymph nodes/leaks, and assistance for fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS). This study aims to provide an overview of principles, currently available dyes, platforms, and surgical applications and summarizes the available literature on the utility of FGS with a focus on abdomino-thoracic malignancies.