Defining Benchmarks for Pelvic Exenteration Surgery: A Multicentre Analysis of Patients with Locally Advanced and Recurrent Rectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To establish globally applicable benchmark outcomes for pelvic exenteration (PE) in patients with locally advanced primary (LARC) and recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC), using outcomes achieved at highly specialised centres. BACKGROUND DATA: PE is established as the standard of care for selected patients with LARC and LRRC. There are currently no available benchmarks against which surgical performance in PE can be compared for audit and quality improvement. METHODS: This international multicentre retrospective cohort study included patients undergoing PE for LARC or LRRC at 16 highly experienced centres between 2018 and 2023. Ten outcome benchmarks were established in a lower-risk subgroup. Benchmarks were defined by the 75th percentile of the results achieved at the individual centres. RESULTS: 763 patients underwent PE, of which 464 patients (61%) had LARC and 299 (39%) had LRRC. 544 patients (71%) who met predefined lower risk criteria formed the benchmark cohort. For LARC patients, the calculated benchmark threshold for major complication rate was ≤44%; comprehensive complication index (CCI): ≤30.2; 30-day mortality rate: 0%; 90-day mortality rate: ≤4.3%; R0 resection rate: ≥79%. For LRRC patients, the calculated benchmark threshold for major complication rate was ≤53%; CCI: ≤34.1; 30-day mortality rate: 0%; 90-day mortality rate: ≤6%; R0 resection rate: ≥77%. CONCLUSIONS: The reported benchmarks for PE in patients with LARC and LRRC represent the best available care for this patient group globally and can be used for rigorous assessment of surgical quality and to facilitate quality improvement initiatives at international exenteration centres.

Surviving rectal cancer at the cost of a colostomy: global survey of long-term health-related quality of life in 10 countries.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer management may require an ostomy formation; however, a stoma may negatively impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to compare generic and stoma-specific HRQoL in patients with a permanent colostomy after rectal cancer across different countries. METHOD: A cross-sectional cohorts of patients with a colostomy after rectal cancer in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, China, Portugal, Australia, Lithuania, Egypt, and Israel were invited to complete questionnaires regarding demographic and socioeconomic factors along with the Colostomy Impact (CI) score, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and five anchor questions assessing colostomy impact on HRQoL. The background characteristics of the cohorts from each country were compared and generic HRQoL was measured with the EORTC QLQ-C30 presented for the total cohort. Results were compared with normative data of reference European populations. The predictors of reduced HRQoL were investigated by multivariable logistic regression, including demographic and socioeconomic factors and stoma-related problems. RESULTS: A total of 2557 patients were included. Response rates varied between 51-93 per cent. Mean time from stoma creation was 2.5-6.2 (range 1.1-39.2) years. A total of 25.8 per cent of patients reported that their colostomy impairs their HRQoL 'some'/'a lot'. This group had significantly unfavourable scores across all EORTC subscales compared with patients reporting 'no'/'a little' impaired HRQoL. Generic HRQoL differed significantly between countries, but resembled the HRQoL of reference populations. Multivariable logistic regression showed that stoma dysfunction, including high CI score (OR 3.32), financial burden from the stoma (OR 1.98), unemployment (OR 2.74), being single/widowed (OR 1.35) and young age (OR 1.01 per year) predicted reduced stoma-related HRQoL. CONCLUSION: Overall HRQoL is preserved in patients with a colostomy after rectal cancer, but a quarter of the patients interviewed reported impaired HRQoL. Differences among several countries were reported and socioeconomic factors correlated with reduced quality of life.

Life with a stoma across five European countries-a cross-sectional study on long-term rectal cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: Stoma-related problems are known to be important to patients and potentially affect everyday life. The prevalence of stoma-related problems in rectal cancer survivors remains undetermined. This study aimed to examine aspects of life with a long-term stoma, stoma management, and stoma-related problems and explore the impact of stoma-related problems on daily life. METHODS: In total, 2262 patients from 5 European countries completed a multidimensional survey. Stoma-related problems were assessed using the Colostomy Impact score. Multivariable regression analysis, after adjusting for potential confounding factors, provided odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for stoma-related problems' association with restrictions in daily life. RESULTS: The 2262 rectal cancer survivors completed the questionnaire at a median of 5.4 years (interquartile range 3.8-7.6) after stoma formation. In the total sample, leakage (58%) and troublesome odour (55%) were most prevalent followed by skin problems (27%) and pain (21%). Stoma-related problems were more prevalent in patients with parastomal bulging. A total of 431 (19%) reported feeling restricted in daily activities in life with a stoma. Leakage, odour, skin problems, stool consistency, and frequent appliance changes were significantly associated with restrictions in daily life. The highest risk of experiencing restrictions was seen for patients having odour (OR 2.74 [95% CI: 1.99-3.78]) more than once a week and skin problems (OR 1.77 [95% CI: 1.38-2.27]). CONCLUSION: In this large cohort with rectal cancer, stoma-related problems were highly prevalent and impacted daily life. Supportive care strategies should entail outreach to patients with a long-term stoma.

Patient reported outcome measures assessing quality of life in patients with an intestinal stoma: A systematic review.

AIM: Living with a stoma can greatly influence quality of life. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify all patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) assessing health related quality of life (HRQoL) or similar constructs related to an intestinal stoma and to evaluate their level of validation. METHODS: The study was reported in line with PRISMA guidelines. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO prior to the study. Eligible studies were any study investigating psychometric properties of a stoma-specific PROM. The databases MedLine, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Libraries were searched for eligible studies. Studies were screened on title and abstract, then full-text for eligibility. Data extraction on the study populations, PROM characteristics, psychometric properties as well as quality assessment using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist was performed. RESULTS: In total, 40 studies were included concerning the development and/or validation of 21 PROMs. For most PROMs, few psychometric properties were assessed. In general, quality of content validity was poor, quality of construct validity and reliability was good. Assessment of responsiveness was lacking. CONCLUSION: This systematic review offers an overview of existing PROMs measuring stoma-related HRQoL and their psychometric properties. A large number of PROMs exist and their measures overlap considerably. The PROMs generally have a low level of validation, emphasizing the need for future studies to further validate existing PROMs, rather than developing new ones.

Validation of the Chinese version of the colostomy impact score in rectal cancer patients with permanent colostomy.

OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the colostomy impact score (CIS) among patients with a permanent colostomy in China. METHODS: A total of 218 patients completed the survey either in the clinic or remotely and mailed their responses. Reliability was estimated based on test-retest reliability. Validity was evaluated based on content validity, construct validity, and discriminative validity. The sensitivity and specificity of the score were analysed. The area under the curve was analysed by drawing the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve; the optimal cutoff point was calculated to assess the impact of a stoma on domestic patients. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability of the CIS was 0.967. The content validity was 0.98, and the construct and discriminative validities were good; sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve were 100, 48.53, and 0.806%, respectively. The optimal cutoff point for the Chinese version of the Colostomy Impact Score was 11.5. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of the CIS indicated good reliability and validity, making it suitable for the evaluation of the impact of a permanent colostomy.

Transanal Irrigation for Neurogenic Bowel Disease, Low Anterior Resection Syndrome, Faecal Incontinence and Chronic Constipation: A Systematic Review.

Transanal irrigation (TAI) has received increasing attention as a treatment option in patients with bowel dysfunction. This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and evaluates the effect of TAI in neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD), low anterior resection syndrome (LARS), faecal incontinence (FI) and chronic constipation (CC). The primary outcome was the effect of TAI on bowel function. Secondary outcomes included details on TAI, quality of life (QoL), the discontinuation rate, adverse events, predictive factors for a successful outcome, and health economics. A systematic search for articles reporting original data on the effect of TAI on bowel function was performed, and 27 eligible studies including 1435 individuals were included. Three randomised controlled trials, one non-randomised trial, and 23 observational studies were included; 70% of the studies were assessed to be of excellent or good methodological quality. Results showed an improvement in bowel function among patients with NBD, LARS, FI, and CC with some studies showing improvement in QoL. However, discontinuation rates were high. Side effects were common, but equally prevalent among comparative treatments. No consistent predictive factors for a successful outcome were identified. Results from this review show that TAI improves bowel function and potentially QoL; however, evidence remains limited.

Translation and international validation of the Colostomy Impact score.

AIM: Optimal oncological resection in cancers of the lower rectum often requires a permanent colostomy. However, in some patients a colostomy may have a negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The Colostomy Impact (CI) score is a simple questionnaire that identifies patients with stoma dysfunction that impairs HRQoL by dividing patients into 'minor' and 'major' CI groups. This aim of this study is to evaluate construct and discriminative validity, sensitivity, specificity and reliability of the CI score internationally, making it applicable for screening and identification of patients with stoma-related impaired HRQoL. METHOD: The CI score was translated in agreement with WHO recommendations. Cross-sectional cohorts of rectal cancer survivors with a colostomy in Australia, China, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden were asked to complete the CI score, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life 30-item core questionnaire, the stoma-specific items of the EORTC quality of life 29-item colorectal-specific questionnaire and five anchor questions assessing the impact of colostomy on HRQoL. RESULTS: A total of 2470 patients participated (response rate 51%-93%). CI scores were significantly higher in patients reporting reduced HRQoL due to their colostomy than in patients reporting no reduction. Differences in EORTC scale scores between patients with minor and major CI were significant and clinically relevant. Sensitivity was high regarding dissatisfaction with a colostomy. Regarding evaluation of discriminative validity, the CI score relevantly identified groups with differences in HRQoL. The CI score proved reliable, with equal CI scores between test and retest and an intraclass correlation coefficient in the moderate to excellent range. CONCLUSION: The CI score is internationally valid and reliable. We encourage its use in clinical practice to identify patients with stoma dysfunction who require further attention.

Systematic review of the impact of demographic and socioeconomic factors on quality of life in ostomized colorectal cancer survivors.

Background: Formation of a fecal stoma may be necessary to ensure radical resection in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients but will substantially impact the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in about 20% of cases. Little is known about patient-related risk factors for reduced HRQoL in patients with a permanent stoma. We, therefore, reviewed the current literature on how demographic and socioeconomic factors affect HRQoL in CRC survivors with a stoma. Material and methods: The databases Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were systematically searched. Two independent reviewers extracted and quality-assessed eligible publications. Studies assessing HRQoL using a validated questionnaire at least 6 months after surgery for CRC were included if data on the impact of demographic and/or socioeconomic, factors on HRQoL were analyzed and presented. Results: Eligible studies predominantly presented small cross-sectional cohorts. Age showed equivocal results; hence, some studies found younger patients had inferior HRQoL compared with older patients, and others found no difference. Subdivision into age groups differed widely. Several studies found that both generic and stoma-specific HRQoL was lower in females compared with males. Most studies found that socioeconomic factors did not affect HRQoL while one study found lower education correlated to reduced HRQoL. Categorization of these factors also varied widely. Conclusions: This is to our knowledge the first systematic review on the impact of patient-related factors on HRQoL in long-term CRC survivors. We found that a stoma had more impact in younger ostomates than older and that HRQoL in females was reduced more than in males. Conclusions regarding other factors were difficult due to few studies and contradictory results. Further research in this subject is much needed in order to target preventive measures when planning surgery in patients in high risk of reduced HRQoL.

Long-term outcome of peroral endoscopic myotomy for esophageal achalasia in patients with previous Heller myotomy.

BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an emerging procedure in the treatment of esophageal achalasia, a primary motility disorder. However, the long-term outcome of POEM in patients, who have previously undergone a Heller myotomy, is unknown. METHODS: Using a local database, we identified patients with esophageal achalasia, who underwent POEM. We compared patients with a previous Heller myotomy to those, who had received none or only non-surgical therapy prior to the POEM procedure. We conducted follow-up examinations at 3, 12, and 24 months following the procedure. RESULTS: We included 66 consecutive patients undergoing POEM for achalasia, of which 14 (21.2 %) had undergone a prior Heller myotomy. In both groups, the preoperative Eckardt score was 7. Postoperatively, the non-Heller group experienced a more pronounced symptom relief at both 3-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up compared with the Heller group, and there was a tendency for the effect of POEM to reduce over time. We suggest that there is a correlation between preoperative measurements of gastroesophageal sphincter pressures and the chance of a successful POEM. CONCLUSIONS: POEM has a place in the treatment of esophageal achalasia in patients with a prior Heller myotomy and persistent symptoms as it is a safe procedure with acceptable long-term results.

[Toothpick perforation in the ventricle].

A 60-year-old male was admitted with acute abdominal pain and fever. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed free air. Diagnostic laparoscopy showed a toothpick perforating the ventricle, and the toothpick was removed successfully. This condition is severe with a reported mortality of 9.6%. A practical guideline based on 136 cases was presented in 2014. Endoscopy was found to be superior to CT in identifying toothpicks as well as offering therapeutic intervention, rendering endoscopy the first choice in diagnostic and treatment. Subsequently CT or ultrasound is recommended in the unresolved patient.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for nutcracker esophagus. Three cases with 12 months follow-up.

INTRODUCTION: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been introduced as a new treatment of achalasia, and studies are emerging on POEM treatment of other esophageal motility disorders. The effects of medical treatment, botox injections and dilatations are often limited in patients with severe nutcracker esophagus (NE). We therefore decided to perform POEM in three patients with severe NE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Informed consent was provided. POEM was performed under general anesthesia on the distal esophagus and upper stomach. At 3 months, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively all patients had clinical follow-up, barium swallow and high-resolution manometry. RESULTS: All patients displayed marked improvement with a significant reduction in Eckardt score at follow-up after 1 year, from 10, 10 and 11 to 3, 1 and 1, respectively. During follow-up, the patients were diagnosed with increased reflux index and one patient was diagnosed with gastroparesis. CONCLUSION: Considering our results, treating severe NE with POEM has to be considered in the future; however, further studies have to confirm this.