Search

Background: Infectious complications and anastomotic leakage affect approximately 30 per cent of patients after colorectal cancer surgery. The aim of this multicentre randomized trial was to investigate whether selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) reduces these complications of elective colorectal cancer surgery. Methods: The effectiveness of SDD was evaluated in a multicentre, open‐label RCT in six centres in the Netherlands. Patients with colorectal cancer scheduled for elective curative surgery with a primary anastomosis were eligible. Oral colistin, tobramycin and amphotericin B were administered to patients in the SDD group to decontaminate the digestive tract. Both treatment and control group received intravenous cefazolin and metronidazole for perioperative prophylaxis. Mechanical bowel preparation was given for left‐sided colectomies, sigmoid and anterior resections. Anastomotic leakage was the primary outcome; infectious complications and mortality were secondary outcomes. Results: The outcomes for 228 patients randomized to the SDD group and 227 randomized to the control group were analysed. The trial was stopped after interim analysis demonstrated that superiority was no longer attainable. Effective SDD was confirmed by interspace DNA profiling analysis of rectal swabs. Anastomotic leakage was observed in 14 patients (6·1 per cent) in the SDD group and in 22 patients (9·7 per cent) in the control group (odds ratio (OR) 0·61, 95 per cent c.i. 0·30 to 1·22). Fewer patients in the SDD group had one or more infectious complications than patients in the control group (14·9 versus 26·9 per cent respectively; OR 0·48, 0·30 to 0·76). Multivariable analysis indicated that SDD reduced the rate of infectious complications (OR 0·47, 0·29 to 0·76). Conclusion: SDD reduces infectious complications after colorectal cancer resection but did not significantly reduce anastomotic leakage in this trial. Registration number: NCT01740947 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov). A multicentre randomized trial of selective decontamination of the digestive tract in colorectal surgery showed a reduction in infectious complications but not anastomotic leakage. May reduce surgical‐site infection but not leaks [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]