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Aim: The standard treatment for anal cancer is chemoradiotherapy. Most patients survive anal cancer but remain living with long‐term side effects related to the treatment received. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of long‐term impairment of urinary and sexual function at 3 and 6 years after diagnosis and to investigate the additive effect from chemotherapy in combined chemoradiotherapy on urinary incontinence, compared to radiotherapy alone. Method: The ANal CAncer study (ANCA) is based on a national Swedish cohort of patients diagnosed with anal cancer between 2011 and 2013. All identified patients within the study were invited to respond to a study‐specific questionnaire at 3 and 6 years. Descriptive analyses for the primary endpoint were performed. To investigate a possible additional effect from chemotherapy logistic regression was used. Results: A total of 388 patients were included in the study. At 3 years 264 patients were alive and invited to respond to an anal cancer specific questionnaire. The 3‐ and 6 year response rates were 195 (74%) and 155 patients (67%), respectively. The patient reported urinary function impairment at 3 years were urgency (63%), incomplete bladder emptying (47%), and incontinence (46%) and there was an absolute increase of the prevalence of urinary dysfunction in about 10% at 6 years. Three years after diagnosis, 77% reported that intercourse was not part of their sex life; this percentage increased at 6 years to 83%. We found no negative effect of chemotherapy in combined chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone on patient reported urinary incontinence. Conclusion: For anal cancer survivors, urinary function was impaired after 3 years and continued to deteriorate as measured at 6 years after diagnosis. Anal cancer and its treatment negatively affected sexual function for both men and women. This may explain why patients reported that sexual activity and frequency of intercourse was not of importance in their life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The primary therapeutic option for anal cancer treatment is chemoradiotherapy resulting in 80% survival. The aim of this study was to assess long‐term bowel function impairment and anal pain at 3 and 6 years after anal cancer diagnosis, based on a hypothesis of an increase in impairment over time. A secondary aim was to investigate if chemoradiotherapy increased the risk for bowel impairment, compared to radiotherapy alone. Method: The ANal CAncer study (ANCA) consists of a national Swedish cohort of patients diagnosed with anal cancer between 2011–2013. Patients within the study were invited to respond to a study‐specific questionnaire at 3‐ and 6‐years after diagnosis. Descriptive analyses for the primary endpoint and ordinal logistic regressions for secondary endpoint were performed. Results: A total of 388 patients (84%) were included in the study. At 3 years of follow‐up, 264 patients were alive. A total of 195 of these patients (74%) answered a study specific questionnaire, and at 6 years 154 patients (67%). Fifty‐seven percent experienced bowel urgency at both 3 and 6 years. There was an increased risk for repeated bowel movement within 1 h (OR 2.44 [95% CI: 1.08–5.61, p = 0.03]) at 3 years in patients who had been treated by chemoradiation compared to radiotherapy alone. Conclusions: Impairment in bowel function and anal pain after anal cancer treatment should be expected and remains after 6 years. This suggests that long‐term follow‐up may be necessary in some form after customary follow‐up. The addition of chemotherapy increases long‐term side effects of bowel function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Approximately 25% of anal cancer patients undergo abdominoperineal excision or more extensive surgery. Following surgery, a high perineal complication rate has been reported. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is an evidence‐based multimodal interventional programme introduced to mitigate the risk of complications. This study aims to describe perineal healing in relation to ERAS compliance, type of resection and method of perineal reconstruction in patients with anal cancer after salvage surgery. Method: This is a retrospective cohort study including all patients undergoing abdominal surgery for squamous cell anal cancer in Stockholm between January 2005 and December 2015. Data collection was from registers supplemented by chart review. All patients were followed until death or 1 year after surgery. The associations between ERAS compliance, patient and treatment characteristics and perineal wound healing were evaluated using logistic regression. Results: In total, 101 patients (67 women) were included, of whom 72 were ERAS compliant. Of patients alive, healing after surgery occurred in 61/98 and 84/89 at 3 months and 1 year, respectively. Perineal healing at 3 months was statistically significantly associated with younger age and type of perineal reconstruction (in favour of vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap). No associations were observed at 1 year but almost all wounds were healed. Conclusion: Age and type of perineal reconstruction appear to be significantly associated with improved healing at 3 months whereas compliance to an ERAS protocol and type of resection do not. Nearly all patients had a fully healed perineal wound 1 year after surgery for anal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Surgical treatment of colorectal cancer with synchronous colorectal liver metastases (SCRLM) can follow three different strategies with regard to the timing of liver resection. The aim of this study was to describe the selection of surgical strategy, focusing on differences between colon and rectal cancer with SCRLM, postoperative morbidity/mortality and survival. Method: This was a retrospective population‐based study of patients with SCRLM registered in the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry in the Stockholm/Gotland region during 2010–2017 and treated with surgical resection of the primary tumour and liver metastases (LM). Patients were followed for 5 years or censored at 22 November 2018. Results: A total of 238 patients met the inclusion criteria during the study period. Patients with rectal cancer were treated with the 'liver first' strategy in 70% of cases, whereas the main treatment strategies for colonic tumours were 'simultaneous resection' (44%) and 'primary first' (37%). Rectal cancer had a superior 5‐year survival rate compared with colon tumours with SCRLM (62 vs. 47%; p = 0.033). There was no difference in survival between treatment strategies irrespective of primary tumour location. Postoperative complications occurred most commonly among rectal tumours treated with simultaneous resection (p = 0.024). Conclusion: Patients with rectal cancer and SCRLM were more often treated with the 'liver first' strategy than patients with colon cancer. Patients with rectal cancer and SCRLM where both primary tumour and LM were operated on had significantly better survival than corresponding patients with colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On theoretical grounds, nicotine has been implicated as a modifier of cancer progression. We investigated possible associations of smoking or use of Scandinavian moist snuff (snus) with survival after cancer among Swedish male construction workers. Snus use is associated with substantial exposure to nicotine but not to the combustion products in smoke. Among 336,381 workers with detailed information on tobacco use in 1971-1992, we observed 40,230 incident cancers. Complete follow-up through 2007 was accomplished through linkage to population and health registers. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for death from any cause, cancer-specific death and death from other causes were derived from Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for age at diagnosis, body mass index at study entry and period of diagnosis. Never users of any tobacco served as reference. Increased risks of cancer-specific death were observed both among exclusive smokers (HRall cancer 1.15, 95% CI: 1.10-1.21) and never-smoking snus users (1.15, 95% CI: 1.05-1.26). As regards deaths due to other causes, exclusive smokers had higher relative risks than exclusive snus users ( p = 0.03). A history of tobacco use, even exclusive use of the seemingly benign snus, is associated with moderately increased cancer-specific mortality. Although nicotine might play a role, the mechanisms warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although some authorities consider smoking to be an established risk factor for colorectal cancer, the international literature is not entirely consistent. Further, only 1 study has addressed the association with smokeless tobacco and none with Scandinavian moist snuff (snus). This retrospective cohort study included 336,381 male Swedish construction workers with detailed information on tobacco use at cohort entry in 1971-1992. Complete follow-up through 2007 was accomplished by means of linkage to population and health registers. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived from Cox proportional hazards regression models estimated relative risks, adjusted for age and body mass index. Subjects who were never-users of any tobacco served as reference. After up to 37 years of follow-up, pure smoking was associated with a marginally increased risk of colon cancer (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99-1.19), a modestly elevated risk of rectal cancer (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.30) and a substantial excess risk of anal cancer (HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.06-5.48). Snus use was not significantly associated with an increased risk of colorectal or anal cancer, although the point estimate for colon cancer was similar to that observed among smokers. Swedish data provide meager support for the association between tobacco use and colorectal cancer. A general tendency among Swedish men to quit smoking in recent decades might have attenuated true associations. A link between smoking and anal cancer was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses papers presented in the issue regarding the European Society of Coloproctology's cohort studies including the study methodology, the open access protocols, and study on colorectal surgery.