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Background: Oral antibiotics (OAB) in colorectal surgery have been shown to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs) and possibly anastomotic leakage. However, evidence on long-term follow-up, reintervention rates and 5-year oncological follow-up is lacking. The current study aims at elucidating this knowledge gap. Methods: This study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of perioperative 'Selective decontamination of the digestive tract' (SDD) in colorectal cancer surgery. The primary outcome was anastomotic leakage within 90 days, secondary outcomes included infectious complications, reinterventions, readmission, hospital stay, and 5-year overall and disease-free-survival. Statistical analysis including univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors of 90-day outcomes, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used for the 5-year survival outcomes. Results: In total 455 patients were analyzed, 228 participants in the SDD group and 227 in the control group. Anastomotic leakage rate was not statistically different between the SDD and control group (6.6% versus 9.7%). One or more infectious complications occurred in 15.4% of patients in the SDD group and in 28.2% in the control group (OR 0.46, 95% C.I. 0.29 – 0.73). In the SDD group 8,8% of patients required a reintervention compared to 16,3% of patients in the control group (OR 0.47, 95% C.I. 0.26 – 0.84). After multivariable analysis SDD remained significant in reducing both infectious complications and reinterventions after 90-days follow-up. There was no difference between SDD and control group in 5-year overall survival and disease-free-survival. Conclusion: SDD as OAB is effective in reducing 90-days postoperative infectious complications and reinterventions. As such, SDD as standard OAB in elective colorectal surgery is highly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The presence of an inflammatory response resulting from bowel perforation or anastomotic leakage has been suggested to enhance recurrence rates in colorectal cancer patients. Currently, it is unknown if bowel perforation or anastomotic leakage has prognostic significance in early stage colon cancer patients. In this study, the impact of peri-operative bowel perforation including anastomotic leakage on disease-free survival of stage I/II colon cancer patients was investigated. Methods: Prospective follow up data of 448 patients with stages I/II colon cancer that underwent resection were included. Patients who died within 3 months after initial surgery were excluded. Results: Median follow up was 56.0 months. Patients with peri-operative bowel perforation ( n = 25) had a higher recurrence rate compared to patients without perforation ( n = 423), 36.0 % vs. 16.1 % ( p = 0.01). Disease-free survival was significantly worse for the perforation group compared to patients without perforation ( p = 0.004). Multivariate analysis including T-stage, histological grade, and adjuvant chemotherapy showed peri-operative bowel perforation to be an independent factor significantly associated with disease recurrence (odds ratio, 2.7; 95 % CI, 1.1-6.7). Conclusion: Peri-operative bowel perforation is associated with increased recurrence rates and impaired disease-free survival in early-stage colon cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]