Downstaging after preoperative chemoradiation for locally advanced rectal cancer is associated with better survival than pathologic stage 0-1 disease treated with upfront surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is unknown how patients with locally advanced rectal cancer with significant response to preoperative radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy fare relative to patients with true pathologic 0-1 disease undergoing upfront surgery. We aimed to determine whether survival is improved in locally advanced rectal cancer downstaged to pathologic stage 0-1 disease compared to true pathologic stage 0-1 tumors. METHODS: A retrospective review of the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2016 was conducted. Three groups were identified: (1) clinical stage 2-3 disease downstaged to pathologic stage 0-1 disease after radiotherapy, (2) clinical stage 2-3 disease not downstaged after radiotherapy, and (3) true pathologic 0-1 tumors undergoing upfront surgery. The primary endpoint was overall survival and was compared using Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 59,884 patients. Of the 40,130 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative radiation, 12,670 (31.5%) had significant downstaging (group 1), while 27,460 (68.4%) had no significant downstaging (group 2). A total of 19,754 had pathologic 0-1 disease treated with upfront resection (group 3). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, downstaged patients had significantly better overall survival compared to both non-downstaged and true pathologic stage 0-1 patients (median 156 vs. 99 and 136 months, respectively, p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, downstaged patients had significantly better survival (HR 0.88, p < 0.001) compared to true pathologic 0-1 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Locally advanced rectal cancer downstaged after preoperative radiotherapy has significantly better survival compared to true pathologic stage 0-1 disease treated with upfront surgery. Response to chemoradiotherapy likely identifies a subset of patients with a particularly good prognosis.

Racial disparities in access to minimally invasive proctectomy for rectal cancer-a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program study.

AIM: The aim of this work was to determine racial disparities in access to minimally invasive proctectomy using a national database. METHOD: A retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program evaluated for surgical approach (robotic, laparoscopic or open), demographics and comorbidity, and then compared by race. RESULTS: A total of 3511 patients (325 Asian, 2925 White, 261 African American/Black) with cancer who underwent a proctectomy between 2016 and 2020 were included. Both Asians and Whites had significantly higher rates of laparoscopic proctectomy relative to African Americans (38.5%, 33.8% and 28.7%, respectively; p = 0.0001). Asians had the highest rate of robotic proctectomy (38.2%, p = 0.0001). Conversely, Black patients had significantly higher rates of open proctectomy followed by Whites and then Asians (42.1%, 35.4% and 23.4%, respectively; p = 0.0001). In multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination, African Americans were 0.7 times as likely to undergo laparoscopic proctectomy and 1.4 times more likely to undergo open proctectomy than Whites (p = 0.043). Compared with Whites, Asians were 1.8, 1.7 and 1.9 times more likely to undergo minimally invasive, laparoscopic proctectomy and robotic proctectomy, respectively (p = 0.0001, p = 0.001, p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Asians had the highest rate of laparoscopic and robotic proctectomy, while Blacks had the highest rate of open proctectomy. African Americans were least likely to undergo laparoscopic proctectomy compared with all races. Race is an independent risk factor for access to minimally invasive proctectomy.

Novel antibiotic irrigation device versus standard O-ring wound retractor in the prevention of surgical site infection following colorectal resection.

PURPOSE: We sought to compare the effectiveness of a novel antibiotic irrigation device to the standard O-ring wound retractor in preventing surgical site infections (SSIs) following colorectal resections. METHODS: This single-arm clinical trial included patients undergoing colorectal resections utilizing the novel device. A retrospective cohort of patients undergoing the same procedures with the O-ring retractor was selected as the control group. The primary outcome assessed was SSI. Secondary outcomes assessed were overall complications, hospital length of stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission. A univariable and multivariable logistic regression model was built to evaluate the association between SSI as the outcome variable and the use of the novel device as the main independent variable. The model was adjusted for any confounding variables. RESULTS: Eighty-six novel device cases and 170 O-ring retractor cases were enrolled. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographics and preoperative comorbidities. Cases with the novel device had fewer Pfannenstiel incisions (1.2% vs. 14.6%, p < 0.001). There were no other significant differences in intraoperative variables. SSI rates were significantly lower in the novel device group (1.2% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.014). There were no other significant differences in postoperative complications. Multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination showed that the use of the novel device was significantly more effective against SSI by 92.5% compared to the use of the O-ring retractor. CONCLUSION: The novel device may contribute to lower SSI rates compared to the O-ring retractor following colorectal resection.

Does coffee affect bowel recovery following minimally invasive colorectal operations? A three-armed randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have suggested that coffee may shorten the postoperative ileus period. We sought to evaluate the impact of both coffee and caffeine on shortening the return of postoperative bowel function following minimally invasive colectomy. METHODS: This was a single-center, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in a tertiary hospital. Patients undergoing an elective robotic or laparoscopic small or large bowel operation were included in this study. Patients were randomized into one of three groups: warm water, decaffeinated coffee, and caffeinated coffee. Subjects were assigned to drink a 4-oz cup three times daily starting on postoperative day one. The primary endpoint was time to first bowel movement. Secondary endpoints included time to first flatus, length of hospital stay, and postoperative morbidity. RESULTS: A total of 99 patients were included in this study: 31 warm water, 31 decaffeinated coffee, and 37 caffeinated coffee. The groups were similar in age and sex (p = 0.51 and 0.91, respectively). Mean (SD) time to the first bowel movement in days was 2.94 (1.4), 2.58 (1.2), and 2.86 (1.3), respectively (p = 0.53). There were no significant differences observed in postoperative morbidity (p = 0.52) between groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis did not reveal a statistically significant association between any interventions and time to first bowel movement or length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Coffee (caffeinated or decaffeinated) does not expedite the return of bowel function following minimally invasive operation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://classic. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/ct2/show/NCT02639728 NCT02639728.

Incidence rate and histology of appendiceal neoplasms in complicated versus uncomplicated appendicitis: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Studies evaluating the rate and histology of appendiceal neoplasms between complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis include a small number of patients. Therefore, we sought a meta-analysis and systematic review comparing the rates and types of appendiceal neoplasm between complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis. METHODS: We included articles published from the time of inception of the datasets to September 30, 2022. The electronic databases included English publications in Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and Scopus. RESULTS: A total of 4962 patients with appendicitis enrolled in 4 comparative studies were included. The mean age was 43.55 years (16- 94), and half were male (51%). Based on intra-operative findings, 1394 (38%) had complicated appendicitis, and 3558 (62%) had uncomplicated appendicitis. The overall incidence rate of neoplasm was 1.98%. No significant difference was found in the incidence rate of appendiceal neoplasm between complicated (3.29%) and uncomplicated (1.49%) appendicitis (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.16- 1.23; p < 0.087; I2 = 54.9%). The most common appendiceal neoplasms were Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET) (49.21%), Nonmucinous Adenocarcinoma (24.24%), Mixed Adeno-Neuroendocrine Tumor (MANEC) (11.40%), Mucinous Adenocarcinoma (4.44%). There was a significant difference between complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis in rates of adenocarcinoma (50% vs. 13%), NET (31% vs. 74%), MANEC (19% vs. 13%) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: While there was no significant difference in the overall neoplasm rate between complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis, the NET rate was significantly higher in uncomplicated appendicitis. In comparison, the Adenocarcinoma rate was considerably higher in Complicated appendicitis. These findings emphasize the importance of evaluating risk factors for neoplasm when considering appendectomy in patients with appendicitis.

Robotic colorectal procedures: does operative start time impact short-term outcome?

BACKGROUND: Previous publications revealed more complications in afternoon versus morning surgeries. With much attention given to robotic surgery outcomes, we sought to evaluate whether morning versus afternoon start time matters. METHODS: In a retrospective review of a prospective database, 210 robotic colorectal surgeries were grouped into 97 morning versus 113 afternoon cases. Preoperative risk factors, intraoperative events, and 30-day postoperative outcomes were compared. An independent samples t-test, Fisher's exact test, and linear regression were used for categorical and continuous variables. RESULTS: Morning patients were significantly younger than afternoon patients (59.5 vs. 65.5, p = 0.004), but there were no significant differences in gender, mean BMI, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, total operative time, console time, estimated blood loss, indications for surgery, and resection type. Morning patients had a significantly shorter mean length of stay (6.0 vs. 8.0 days, p = 0.021), but no significant differences in overall postoperative complications (0.30 vs. 0.30, p = 0.715), wound infection (5.2% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.564), anastomotic leak (0% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.251), ileus/small bowel obstruction (29.9% vs. 22.1%, p = 0.199), and 30-day readmission (8.2% vs. 7.1%, p = 1.000). When analyzing time of day as a continuous variable, we found no significant associations with intra- or postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: We found no correlation between surgery start time and intra- or postoperative outcomes. This can be partly attributed to these cases being non-emergent and performed primarily by two experienced surgeons with highly trained operating room robotic staff in a large volume tertiary center. This, along with decreased fatigue attributed to superior ergonomics of robotic surgery, may have mitigated previously reported differences between morning and afternoon procedures.

The impact of tumor location on long-term survival outcomes in patients with right-sided colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: The oncologic outcomes of right-sided cancers are generally grouped in studies. We hypothesized that tumor location (cecal vs. ascending vs. hepatic flexure) may influence cancer-specific outcomes. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried for patients over 18 with non-metastatic, invasive (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I-III) right-sided adenocarcinoma of the colon from 1988 to 2014 who underwent partial colectomy. Patients were categorized into groups: (1) cecum (2) ascending colon (3) hepatic flexure. Demographic, clinical and pathologic factors were compared between groups. Disease-specific and overall survival were described using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox regression analysis determined the independent association of primary tumor location. RESULTS: We identified 167,450 patients. Mean age was 72.2 ± 12.3 years and 54.9% were female. Of these, 81,611, 66,857, and 18,982 had cecal, ascending colon, and hepatic flexure cancers, respectively. Cecal cancers were associated with a lower number of examined nodes but a higher likelihood of nodal positivity. Cecal cancer patients were significantly older, had larger tumors, and higher tumor stage. On univariate analysis, cecal cancers were associated with poorer disease-specific and overall survival (all p values < 0.001). On multivariate analysis controlling for sex, age, tumor size, number of examined nodes and stage, hepatic flexure cancers were associated with worse disease-specific (HR 1.05) and overall survival (HR 1.03). CONCLUSION: Hepatic flexure cancers are associated with worse survival compared to more proximal colon cancers. The cause is likely multifactorial, including biological and technical factors. More aggressive surgical and multimodal therapy may be considered for hepatic flexure colon cancers.

Hartmann's Reversal is More Complex Than Elective Left Colectomy.

BACKGROUND: Hartmann's reversal (HR) is associated with significant technical complexity and morbidity. The decision to perform HR is difficult and up to 50% of patients with colostomies do not undergo a reversal. To better guide surgeons and patients with this decision, we sought to assess the surgical risks and outcomes of HR as compared to elective left colectomy (LC). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospective database at a tertiary medical center. Patients undergoing elective Hartmann's reversal and left colectomy between January 2014 and November 2021 were identified. We compared preoperative variables, intraoperative events, and short-term postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: 135 patients were identified: 30 HR and 105 LC. There were no significant differences in demographics or preoperative comorbidities between HR and LC. There were more open and fewer robotic cases in HR (23.3% vs 2.9%, P < .0001; 46.6% vs 76.0%, P < .01). Total operative time was significantly longer in HR than LC (261.8 vs 211.7 minutes, P = .02). There was a significantly higher percentage of intraoperative complications in HR (13.3% vs 1.9%, P < .01). There was a significantly higher rate of minor postoperative complications in HR than LC (46.7% vs 26.7%, P = .04), but not major (6.7% vs 5.8%, P = .85). Time to first flatus/bowel movement was significantly longer in HR than LC (3.6 vs 2.5 days, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Hartmann's reversal is a more technically challenging operation than elective left colectomy and is associated with significantly higher rates of intraoperative and minor postoperative complications. Future studies should focus on mitigating these risk factors to optimize patient outcomes.

Bilateral Gluteal Fasciocutaneous Advancement Flaps With and Without Tie-Over Sutures in Treatment of Chronic Pilonidal Disease: A Prospective Case Series.

PURPOSE: Flap procedures following pilonidal excision have high recurrence and dehiscence rates. We present a cosmetic, outpatient technique to reconstruction via bilateral gluteal fasciocutaneous advancement flaps with and without tie-over sutures. METHODS: This is a prospective case series of 51 patients (40 males and 11 females). Following elliptical excision of pilonidal disease, gluteal fasciocutaneous advancement flaps were elevated circumferentially using blunt, discontinuous dissection, and a multilayered closure was performed. The resulting scar was midline. Thirty-five patients (68.6%) also had two full-thickness, compressing sutures tied over rolled up gauze. RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 28.2 and body mass index of 26.8. Eight (15.9%) were smokers and 11 (21.6%) were obese. At a mean follow-up of 38.7 months, there were no recurrences and 19 (37.3%) patients had wound dehiscence. There was no significant difference in dehiscence between patients with and without tie-over sutures (31.4% vs 50%, P = 0.20). There was no significant difference in dehiscence between smokers and non-smokers, (62.5% vs 41.9%, P = 0.47), or between obese and non-obese patients (36.4% vs 46.3%, P = 0.51). Obese patients with tie-over sutures had significantly less dehiscence compared to obese patients without tie-over sutures (14% vs 75%, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Bilateral gluteal fasciocutaneous advancement flap with consideration of tie-over sutures is an outpatient treatment for chronic pilonidal disease with resultant midline scar and with no recurrence in our series.

Robotic right versus left colectomy for colorectal neoplasia: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

Previous studies comparing right and left colectomies have shown variable short-term outcomes. Despite the rapid adoption of robotics in colorectal operations, few studies have addressed outcome differences between robotic right (RRC) and left (RLC) colectomies. Therefore, we sought to compare the short-term outcomes of RRC and RLC for neoplasia. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of articles published from the time of inception of the datasets to May 1, 2022. The electronic databases included English publications in Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and Scopus. A total of 13,514 patients with colon neoplasia enrolled in 9 comparative studies were included. The overall mean age was 64.1 years (standard deviation [SD] ± 9.8), and there was a minor female predominance (52% female vs. 48% male). 8656 (64.0%) underwent RRC and 4858 (36.0%) underwent RLC. The ASA score 1 of - 2 in the LRC group was 37% vs. 21% in the R. Whereas the ASA score 3-4 was 62% in the LRC vs. 76% in RRC. Moreover, the mean of the Charlson Comorbidity Score in the LRC was 4.3 (SD 1.9) vs. 3.1 (SD 2.3) in the RRC. Meta-analysis revealed a significantly higher rate of ileus in RRC (10%) compared to RLC (7%) (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.27-1.67). Additionally, operative time was significantly shorter by 22.6 min in RRC versus LRC (95% CI - 37.4-7.8; p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between RRC and RLC in conversion to open operation, estimated blood loss, wound infection, anastomotic leak, reoperation, readmission, and hospital length of stay. In this only meta-analysis comparing RRC and LRC for colon neoplasia, we found that RRC was independently associated with a shorter operative time but increased risk of ileus.

Minimally invasive right versus left colectomy for cancer: does robotic surgery mitigate differences in short-term outcomes?

Studies comparing right (RC) and left colectomies (LC) show higher rates of ileus in RC and higher wound infection and anastomotic leak rates in LC. However, prior studies did not include robotic procedures. We compared short-term outcomes of laparoscopic and robotic RC and LC for cancer, with sub-analysis of robotic procedures. In a retrospective review of a prospective database, preoperative factors, intraoperative events, and 30-day postoperative outcomes were compared. Student's t tests and Chi-square tests were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. A logistic binomial regression was performed to assess whether type of surgery was associated with postoperative complications. Between January 2014 and August 2020, 115 patients underwent minimally invasive RC or LC for cancer. Sixty-eight RC [30 (44.1%) laparoscopic, 38 (55.9%) robotic] and 47 LC [13 (27.6%) laparoscopic, 34 (72.4%) robotic] cases were included. On univariate analysis, RC patients had significantly higher overall postoperative complications but no differences in rates of ileus/small bowel obstruction, wound infection, time to first flatus/bowel movement, length of hospital stay, and 30-day readmissions. On multivariate analysis, there was no significant difference in overall complications and laparoscopic surgery had a 2.5 times higher likelihood of complications than robotic surgery. In sub-analysis of robotic cases, there was no significant difference among all outcome variables. Previously reported outcome differences between laparoscopic RC and LC for cancer may be mitigated by robotic surgery.

Hartmann's reversal is associated with worse outcomes compared to elective left colectomy: A NSQIP analysis of 36,794 cases.

BACKGROUND: Hartmann's reversal (HR) is associated with significant technical difficulty and morbidity. Using the ACS-NSQIP database, we assessed the outcomes of HR as compared to elective left colectomy (LC). METHODS: The 2016-2019 ACS-NSQIP datasets were queried to identify patients undergoing HR and elective LC. Patients' demographics, comorbidities, and short-term surgical outcomes were evaluated using both univariable and multivariable methods. RESULTS: The study included 7,632 HR cases and 29,162 LC cases. The HR group had more patients with ASA grade III (50% vs. 42.4%). HR had more open-operative cases (69.4 vs. 18.5%) and longer mean operative times (213 vs. 191 min) than LC. Postoperatively, the HR group had a longer mean hospital stay (5.5 vs. 4.1 days) and higher complication rate (18.3% vs. 10.3%). HR was associated with increased odds of having a concurrent ileostomy (OR 2.11), deep space/organ infection (OR 1.55), and at least one complication (OR 1.56). CONCLUSION: HR is a more challenging operation with patients who fared worse than their LC counterparts. Consideration should be given to alternatives of the index Hartmann's procedure.

Predictors of lymph node metastases in patients with malignant adenomatous polyps of the colon.

BACKGROUND: We sought to describe predictors of lymph node positivity in patients with malignant colon polyps to identify low risk patients who may potentially avoid radical surgery. DESIGN: The National Cancer Database (2010-2015) was queried for all patients with malignant colonic polyps who underwent formal colonic resection. Univariate and multivariate methods were used to determine independent predictors of lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: 14,663 patients were identified. Lymph node disease was present in 9% of patients. High-grade disease, LVI, PNI, younger age, and left sided location were univariate predictors of lymph node disease. High-grade disease (OR 1.84), left sided location (OR 1.31), LVI (OR 5.79), and PNI (OR 1.70) were independent predictors, while elderly age (OR 0.64) was protective (all p-values <0.001). Elderly patients with low grade disease of the right/transverse colon without LVI/PNI had a 4.4% risk of lymph node disease. High grade, left-sided tumors with LVI, non-elderly age, had a 30% risk. CONCLUSION: Non-elderly age, left-sided location, LVI, PNI and high-grade histology are independent predictors of lymph node metastasis in malignant colonic polyps.