Rectal cancer lateral pelvic sidewall lymph nodes: a review of controversies and management.

BACKGROUND: The management of lateral pelvic lymphadenopathy in low rectal cancer poses an oncological and technical challenge. Interpretation of the literature is confounded by different approaches to management in the East and West, and a lack of randomized data from which to draw accurate conclusions regarding the optimal approach. Recent collaboration between Eastern and Western centres has increased the standardization of care. Despite this, significant differences in international guidelines remain. The aim of this review was to appraise the available literature and propose a management algorithm. METHODS: A literature review of all relevant studies was performed to summarize the historical evidence, as well as establish the significance of clinically positive lateral pelvic sidewall nodes, and the role of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and lateral pelvic node dissection. A management algorithm was developed based on this review of the literature. RESULTS: The management of pelvic sidewall lymphadenopathy in rectal cancer is non-standardized, with geographical differences. The mechanism of lateral lymphatic spread is well defined; the risk increases with lower tumour height and advanced T category. Existing data indicate that acceptable disease-free and overall survival can be achieved by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with selective lateral pelvic node dissection. CONCLUSION: Suspicious lateral pelvic sidewall nodes, particularly in the internal iliac chain, should be considered as resectable locoregional disease, and surgery offered for enlarged nodes that do not respond to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

ANTECEDENTES: El tratamiento de las adenopatías en la pared pélvica lateral en el céncer de recto inferior plantea un desafío oncológico y técnico. La interpretación de la literatura es confusa por los diferentes abordajes en Oriente y Occidente y la falta de estudios aleatorizados a partir de los cuales extraer conclusiones precisas sobre cuél es el enfoque óptimo. La reciente colaboración entre los centros orientales y occidentales ha aumentado la estandarización del tratamiento. A pesar de ello, persisten diferencias significativas en las guías internacionales. El objetivo de esta revisión fue evaluar la literatura disponible y proponer un algoritmo terapéutico. MÉTODOS: Se realizó una revisión de la literatura de todos los estudios relevantes para resumir las evidencias existentes, así como para determinar la importancia de las adenopatías de la pared lateral pélvica clínicamente positivas, el papel de la quimiorradioterapia neoadyuvante (neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, NCRT) y de la linfadenectomía pélvica lateral (lateral pelvic node dissection, LPND). Se desarrolló un algoritmo de tratamiento basado en esta revisión de la literatura. RESULTADOS: El tratamiento de las adenopatías de la pared lateral de la pelvis en el céncer de recto no esté estandarizado y sigue habiendo diferencias geogréficas. El mecanismo de la diseminación linfética lateral esté bien definido con un mayor riesgo en los tumores de recto inferior y con un estadio T avanzado. Los datos existentes demuestran que se puede obtener una supervivencia libre de enfermedad y global aceptables mediante NCRT con LPND selectiva. CONCLUSIÓN: Las adenopatías sospechosas en la pared lateral de la pelvis, en particular en la cadena ilíaca interna, deben considerarse enfermedad locorregional resecable y se debe ofrecer cirugía para los ganglios aumentados de tamaño que no responden a la NCRT.

Current concepts in imaging for local staging of advanced rectal cancer.

Imaging of rectal cancer has an increasingly pivotal role in the diagnosis, staging, and treatment stratification of patients with the disease. This is particularly true for advanced rectal cancers where magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings provide essential information that can change treatment. In this review we describe the rationale for the current imaging standards in advanced rectal cancer for both morphological and functional imaging on the baseline staging and reassessment studies. In addition the clinical implications and future methods by which radiologists may improve these are outlined relative to TNM8.

Scottish Bowel Screening Programme colonoscopy quality - scope for improvement?

AIM: The delivery of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme (SBoSP) is rooted in the provision of a high quality, effective and participant-centred service. Safe and effective colonoscopy forms an integral part of the process. Additional accreditation as part of a multi-faceted programme for participating colonoscopists, as in England, does not exist in Scotland. This study aimed to describe the quality of colonoscopy in the SBoSP and compare this to the English national screening standards. METHODS: Data were collected from the SBoSP between 2007 and 2014. End-points for analysis were caecal intubation, cancer, polyp and adenoma detection, and complications. Overall results were compared with 2012 published English national standards for screening and outcomes from 2006 to 2009. RESULTS: During the study period 53 332 participants attended for colonoscopy. The colonoscopy completion rate was 95.6% overall. The mean cancer detection rate was 7.1%, the polyp detection rate was 45.7% and the adenoma detection rate was 35.5%. The overall complication rate was 0.47%. CONCLUSION: Colonoscopy quality in the SBoSP has exceeded the standard set for screening colonoscopy in England, despite not adopting a multi-faceted programme for screening colonoscopy. However, the overall adenoma detection rate in Scotland was 9.1% lower than that in England which has implications for colonoscopy quality and may have an impact on cancer prevention rates, a key aim of the SBoSP.

Participation in bowel screening among men attending abdominal aortic aneurysm screening.

BACKGROUND: Uptake of population-based screening for colorectal cancer in Scotland is around 55 per cent. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening has recently been introduced for men aged 65 years and the reported uptake is 78 per cent. The aim was to determine the impact of a brief intervention on bowel screening in men who attended AAA screening, but previously failed to complete bowel screening. METHODS: Men invited for AAA screening between September 2015 and March 2016 within NHS Tayside were included. Attendees who had not responded to their latest bowel screening invitation were seen by a colorectal cancer clinical nurse specialist. Reasons for not completing the faecal occult blood test (FOBT) were recorded; brief information on colorectal cancer screening was communicated, and participants were offered a further invitation to complete a FOBT. Those who responded positively were sent a further FOBT from the Scottish Bowel Screening Centre. Subsequent return of a completed FOBT within 6 months was recorded. RESULTS: A total of 556 men were invited for AAA screening, of whom 38·1 per cent had not completed a recent FOBT. The primary reason stated for not participating was the time taken to complete the test or forgetting it (35·1 per cent). Other reasons included: lack of motivation (23·4 per cent), confusion regarding the aim of screening (16·2 per cent), disgust (19·8 per cent), fear (6·3 per cent) and other health problems (9·9 per cent). Following discussion, 81·1 per cent agreed to complete the FOBT and 49 per cent subsequently returned the test. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of previous bowel screening non-responders subsequently returned a completed FOBT following a brief intervention with a nurse specialist. Attendance at non-bowel screening appointments may provide a valuable opportunity to improve bowel screening uptake.

Laparoscopic-assisted colonoscopy: results and follow-up endoscopic success.

AIM: Incomplete colonoscopy occurs in 8-10% of attempted examinations. An incomplete colonoscopy is usually followed by radiological evaluation of the large bowel to complete the colonic assessment. Patients then found to have polyps of > 1 cm represent a significant management dilemma. This study describes our experience using laparoscopy to facilitate complete colonoscopy and polypectomy in patients with fixed angulation and the success of subsequent colonoscopies. METHOD: All patients from 2008 to 2012 with an incomplete colonoscopy because of fixed angulation and with polyps detected by subsequent imaging underwent standard laparoscopy with colonic mobilization by division of adhesions to facilitate direct vision. Completion of colonoscopy and polypectomy, intra-operative complications, postoperative morbidity and successful standard follow-up colonoscopy were studied. RESULTS: Twelve patients underwent the procedure. Complete colonoscopy to caecum was successful in all, with a median of 2 (range 1-5) polyps per patient and a mean polyp size of 22 mm. One iatrogenic enterotomy was repaired immediately, with no sequelae. Ten patients have since undergone colonoscopy under sedation, with complete colonic evaluation possible in nine of the patients. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic-assisted colonoscopy allows safe polypectomy in patients with incomplete colonoscopy, without the need for segmental resection. This less-invasive procedure yields recovery times similar to those of colonoscopy alone, avoiding the morbidity of a segmental resection with the added benefit of successful routine colonoscopy in the future.

Outcomes of pelvic exenteration for locally advanced primary rectal cancer: Overall survival and quality of life.

INTRODUCTION: Radical surgery with pelvic exenteration offers the only potential for cure in patients with locally advanced primary rectal cancer. This study describes the clinical and patient-reported quality of life outcomes over 12 months for patients having pelvic exenteration for locally advanced primary rectal cancer at a specialised centre for pelvic exenteration. METHODS: Clinical data of consecutive patients undergoing pelvic exenteration for locally advanced primary rectal cancer and patient-reported outcomes were collected at baseline, hospital discharge and at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Patient-reported outcomes included cancer-specific quality of life (QoL) and physical and mental health status. Quality of life trajectories were modelled over the 12 months from the date of surgery using linear mixed models. RESULTS: 104 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer underwent pelvic exenteration at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, between December 1994 and October 2014. Complete soft tissue exenteration was performed in 38%. A clear margin was obtained in 86% with a 62% overall five-year survival. QoL outcome questionnaires were completed by 62% of patient cohort. The average FACT-C score returned to pre-surgery QoL by 2 months after surgery, and the average QoL continued to increase slowly over the 12 months. CONCLUSION: Our results support an aggressive approach to advanced primary rectal cancer and lend weight to the oncological role of pelvic exenteration for this group of patients. Quality of life improves rapidly after pelvic exenteration for locally advanced primary rectal cancer and continues to improve over the first year.

Chronic pain after open inguinal hernia surgery: suture fixation versus self-adhesive mesh repair.

PURPOSE: Chronic pain following inguinal hernia repair is a complex problem. Mesh fixation with sutures may be a contributing factor to this pain. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of chronic pain and limitation of activities of daily living following inguinal hernia repair using a sutured mesh to a self-adhesive mesh, 6 months and 1 year following surgery. METHODS: All consecutive patients presenting to NHS Fife for open hernia repair between January 2009 and January 2010 were included in our analysis. A prospective survey of postoperative pain and activities of daily living was conducted at 6 months and 1 year following hernia repair. Chronic pain was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. The primary end points for analysis were incidence of chronic pain and limitation of activities of daily living. RESULTS: Overall, 132 of 215 patients completed the questionnaire, 69 in the sutured group and 63 in the self-adhesive mesh group. The need for analgesics was similar during the first 24 h after surgery. Wound infections were detected in one patient in the Lichtenstein group and two in the second group. The incidence of chronic pain was 21 and 7.9% at 6 months and 18.8 and 6.3% at 1 year (p < 0.05). Moderate and vigorous activities were found to be limited some to all of the time in nine patients (60%) in the suture fixation group and in one patient in the self-adhesive group (20%, p < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Open inguinal hernia repair with a self-adhesive mesh may lead to less chronic pain and less restriction of activities of daily living than a sutured mesh fixation.

The open abdomen and temporary abdominal closure systems--historical evolution and systematic review.

AIM: Several techniques for temporary abdominal closure have been developed. We systematically review the literature on temporary abdominal closure to ascertain whether the method can be tailored to the indication. METHOD: Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and relevant meeting abstracts until December 2009 were searched using the following headings: open abdomen, laparostomy, VAC (vacuum assisted closure), TNP (topical negative pressure), fascial closure, temporary abdominal closure, fascial dehiscence and deep wound dehiscence. The data were analysed by closure technique and aetiology. The primary end-points included delayed fascial closure and in-hospital mortality. The secondary end-points were intra-abdominal complications. RESULTS: The search identified 106 papers for inclusion. The techniques described were VAC (38 series), mesh/sheet (30 series), packing (15 series), Wittmann patch (eight series), Bogotá bag (six series), dynamic retention sutures (three series), zipper (15 series), skin only and locking device (one series each). The highest facial closure rates were seen with the Wittmann patch (78%), dynamic retention sutures (71%) and VAC (61%). CONCLUSION: Temporary abdominal closure has evolved from simple packing to VAC based systems. In the absence of sepsis Wittmann patch and VAC offered the best outcome. In its presence VAC had the highest delayed primary closure and the lowest mortality rates. However, due to data heterogeneity only limited conclusions can be drawn from this analysis.

The clinical significance of radiologically detected indeterminate pulmonary nodules in colorectal cancer.

AIM: Colorectal cancer patients identified with indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPN) in the absence of other metastasis represent a clinical dilemma. This study aimed to identify characteristics that could predict which nodules truly represented a metastasis in an attempt to optimize therapy and to reduce the number of follow-up chest CT scans performed. METHOD: All patients with colon or rectal cancer who presented between 2004 and 2008 were analysed. Patients with IPN on staging CT were identified from a dedicated prospective database and the medical records analysed and follow up recorded. Patients with obvious metastatic disease were excluded from analysis. Association of location, number and size of the nodules and metastatic disease were the primary end-points for analysis. RESULTS: Nine hundred and eight patients presenting with cancer of the colon or rectum were identified. Thirty-seven (4%) patients were diagnosed with IPN with no obvious metastatic disease on staging CT. At a median follow up of 23 months there were eight (21%) cases where nodules had progressed. No significant association was detected between nodule size and pulmonary metastasis. Half of the patients with four or more nodules showed progression on serial CT imaging suggestive of pulmonary metastasis (χ(2), P ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSION: Colorectal cancer patients with four or more indeterminate pulmonary nodules on preoperative staging CT imaging, even in the absence of metastasis elsewhere, are likely to represent pulmonary metastatic disease. These patients should be followed up with short-term interval CT imaging to enable early detection of progression so that treatment can be tailored appropriately.

Preparation of wholemount mouse intestine for high-resolution three-dimensional imaging using two-photon microscopy.

Visualizing overall tissue architecture in three dimensions is fundamental for validating and integrating biochemical, cell biological and visual data from less complex systems such as cultured cells. Here, we describe a method to generate high-resolution three-dimensional image data of intact mouse gut tissue. Regions of highest interest lie between 50 and 200 mum within this tissue. The quality and usefulness of three-dimensional image data of tissue with such depth is limited owing to problems associated with scattered light, photobleaching and spherical aberration. Furthermore, the highest-quality oil-immersion lenses are designed to work at a maximum distance of

Prognostic and therapeutic implications of Apc mutations in colorectal cancer.

The adenomatous polyposis coli gene (Apc) is mutated in most colorectal cancers. The multifunctional character of the Apc protein in the regulation of beta-catenin-mediated gene transcription and cytoskeletal proteins has been well described. An important question is how this protein affects the behaviour of cells within a tumour and how its mutational status influences the prognosis for these tumours. Here we provide an overview of the functions of Apc and examine how this information can be used in the prognosis and development of directed therapy in colorectal cancer.

Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Conservative management or suturing for small, uncomplicated hand wounds.

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether suturing provided any advantage over conservative management for small, uncomplicated hand wounds. Only one paper presented a trial addressing the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of this paper are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that there doesn't appear to be any great advantage to suturing. The importance of clinical evaluation, to ensure that the wound really is uncomplicated, is stressed.