Clinical study of colorectal cancer operation: Survival analysis

Purpose@#Overall 5-year survival rates for colon and rectal cancer reported recently by the American Cancer Society were 89%, 90% for localized disease, 71%, 71% for regional disease, and 14%, 15% for distant disease. But the results of survival rate of colorectal cancer in a single institution were very rare. The aim of this study is to evaluate surgical results and survival rates of colorectal cancer. @*Methods@#We conducted a retrospective study with patients who underwent curative resection for a primary colorectal adenocarcinoma between 2009 and 2018. @*Results@#Five-year overall and disease-free survival were 79.5% and 69.9%, respectively. The overall 5-year survival by stages was 94.7% in stage I, 88.4% in stage II, 74.3% in stage III and 31.5% in stage IV. Five-year disease-free survival was 91% in stage I, 79.8% in stage II, 63.3% in stage III, and 18.9% in stage IV. The overall 5-year survival in rectal cancer was superior to colon cancer (P=0.014) while there was no difference in 5-year disease-free survival (P=0.338). Overall survival in female patients was better than male patient (P=0.029). Overall survival by age was worst in group of less than 40 years old (62.5%), and best in group between 41 and 65 years old (86.5%). Postoperative mortality within 30 days was 0.4%, and the recurrence rate was 19.2%. @*Conclusion@#With the development of surgical skills and various treatments, postoperative outcome of colorectal cancer is expected to improve. It may be helpful for surgeons to improve their surgical outcomes when they review their data and conduct active researches.

Prognosis of proximal upper-third gastric cancer excluding tumors originating in the esophagogastric junction

PURPOSE: The objective of the current study was to compare surgical outcomes and prognosis based on the longitudinal location of stomach tumors in patients undergoing curative treatment. The specific focus was on the prognosis for adenocarcinomas in the proximal upper-third of the stomach, excluding tumors in the esophagogastric junction (EGJ).METHODS: Data from patients who underwent curative treatment for gastric adenocarcinoma between 2000 and 2010 at a single institution were analyzed retrospectively. Excluding tumors of EGJ origin, data from 797 patients were reviewed—686 with distal gastric cancer and 111 with proximal gastric cancer. Clinicopathology features, tumor stage, surgical outcomes, recurrence, and survival were compared between the groups.RESULTS: Gastric cancer recurred in 136 of the patients (17.1%). Although differences were detected between proximal and distal cancer patients in the prevalence in males versus females (74.8% vs. 63.4%, P=0.020) and in undifferentiated histology (60.4% vs. 47.7%, P=0.013), the prognosis for proximal gastric cancer did not differ from distal gastric cancer. The overall 5-year disease-free survival rate was 84.9% and 81.4% in proximal and distal cancer patients, respectively (P=0.389).CONCLUSION: The prognosis of proximal cancer, excluding tumors of EGJ origin, did not differ from the prognosis of more distal gastric cancer. Clarifying the prognosis of proximal gastric cancer will require the large-scale comparison of an organized, multi-institution database.

Skip metastasis to portocaval and retropancreatic space in T2 cecal cancer without regional and principle lymph node involvement

Lymph node metastasis in early colon cancer is relatively low. Furthermore, skip metastasis beyond principle lymph node is very rare. This is a case of early cecal cancer with skip metastasis to portocaval and retropancreatic space, without regional lymph node metastasis. A 69-year-old female diagnosed as cecal adenocarcinoma. The imaging study revealed as early cecal cancer without enlargement of regional lymph node. However, there is enlargement of portocaval lymph node and high fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in positron emission tomography scan image. Right hemicolectomy with extended lymph node dissection was done including retropancreatic, portocaval and hepatoduodenal ligament lymph node. Though whole abdominal cavity exploration was done, there was no evidence of other synchronous cancer. The final pathologic findings revealed the poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with invasion of submucosal layer and focally superficial layer of muscularis propria. Two of total 27 lymph nodes were involved by metastastatic adenocarcinoma which were from portocaval and retropancreatic space. The detailed preoperative imaging study could find unexpected lymph node metastasis beyond range of routine lymph node dissection. Even though the preoperative clinical stage is relatively early, the detailed and sufficient evaluation for clinical and imaging findings is important not to ignore skip metastasis.

Right thigh necrotizing fasciitis induced by perforated appendicitis

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical diseases. However, diagnosis is often delayed due to atypical manifestations of appendicitis. Delayed diagnosis causes complications such as perforation, wound infection, abscess, and peritonitis. Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) complicated by perforated appendicitis is extremely rare and can be fatal. Herein, we report the case of an elderly woman presenting with NF of the right leg due to hidden perforated appendicitis. She had multiple medical diseases and initially complained of right leg pain for 3 days without any abdominal symptoms or signs. Her vital signs became unstable on the second day after admission. Computed tomography showed deep NF of the right leg extending from the perforated appendicitis. Emergency surgery was performed after appropriate resuscitation, but she failed to recover from sepsis and died 42 days after surgery.

The Usefulness of Intraoperative Colonic Irrigation and Primary Anastomosis in Patients Requiring a Left Colon Resection

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to assess the short-term outcome of intraoperative colonic irrigation and primary anastomosis and to suggest the usefulness of the procedure when a preoperative mechanical bowel preparation is inappropriate. METHODS: This retrospective study included 38 consecutive patients (19 male patients) who underwent intraoperative colonic irrigation and primary anastomosis for left colon disease between January 2010 and December 2016. The medical records of the patients were reviewed to evaluate the patients' characteristics, operative data, and postoperative short-term outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients had colorectal cancer, 7 patients had perforated diverticulitis, and the remaining 2 patients included 1 with sigmoid volvulus and 1 with a perforated colon due to focal colonic ischemia. A diverting loop ileostomy was created in 4 patients who underwent a low anterior resection. Complications occurred in 15 patients (39.5%), and the majority was superficial surgical site infections (18.4%). Anastomotic leakage occurred in one patient (2.6%) who underwent an anterior resection due sigmoid colon cancer with obstruction. No significant difference in overall postoperative complications and superficial surgical site infections between patients with obstruction and those with peritonitis were noted. No mortality occurred during the first 30 postoperative days. The median hospital stay after surgery was 15 days (range, 8–39 days). CONCLUSION: Intraoperative colonic irrigation and primary anastomosis seem safe and feasible in selected patients. This procedure may reduce the burden of colostomy in patients requiring a left colon resection with an inappropriate preoperative mechanical bowel preparation.