The Impact of Crohn's Perianal Fistula on Quality of Life: Results of an International Patient Survey

Lay Summary Results from an online survey completed by patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and perianal fistulas showed the presence of perianal fistulae has a greater negative impact as compared to CD-only patients. These results may help practitioners address patient burden.Background Crohn's perianal fistula is a disabling manifestation of Crohn's disease. However, the additional burden of perianal fistula on patients with only Crohn's disease remains to be addressed. This patient-reported survey considered outcomes of two domains: "diagnosis" (eg, symptoms) and "living with the disease" (eg, quality of life, well-being, and relationships). Methods Patients with perianal fistula and Crohn's disease completed an online, self-selective, anonymous, 46-item survey available in 11 languages hosted on the European Federation of Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Associations and national patient association websites. The survey was conducted between July and December 2019 in Europe and other regions. Likert scales and closed questions were used to assess outcomes. Results Of the 820 respondents with Crohn's disease (67.2% women; median age, 40.0 years), 532 (64.9%) reported the presence of perianal fistula. Patients with perianal fistula reported a greater impact on overall quality of life (P < .001), well-being (P < .001), relationships (P < .001), social life (P = .001), and work life (P = .012) than patients with only Crohn's disease. Conclusions Perianal fistulas impact several domains of the life of patients with Crohn's disease. These results may help healthcare practitioners plan therapeutic strategies that address the symptomatic and psychological burden experienced by patients with perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease

Minimally invasive vs. open segmental resection of the splenic flexure for cancer: a nationwide study of the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology-Colorectal Cancer Network (SICO-CNN)

Background Evidence on the efficacy of minimally invasive (MI) segmental resection of splenic flexure cancer (SFC) is not available, mostly due to the rarity of this tumor. This study aimed to determine the survival outcomes of MI and open treatment, and to investigate whether MI is noninferior to open procedure regarding short-term outcomes. Methods This nationwide retrospective cohort study included all consecutive SFC segmental resections performed in 30 referral centers between 2006 and 2016. The primary endpoint assessing efficacy was the overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints included cancer-specific mortality (CSM), recurrence rate (RR), short-term clinical outcomes (a composite of Clavien-Dindo > 2 complications and 30-day mortality), and pathological outcomes (a composite of lymph nodes removed >= 12, and proximal and distal free resection margins length >= 5 cm). For these composites, a 6% noninferiority margin was chosen based on clinical relevance estimate. Results A total of 606 patients underwent either an open (208, 34.3%) or a MI (398, 65.7%) SFC segmental resection. At univariable analysis, OS and CSM were improved in the MI group (log-rank test p = 0.004 and Gray's tests p = 0.004, respectively), while recurrences were comparable (Gray's tests p = 0.434). Cox multivariable analysis did not support that OS and CSM were better in the MI group (p = 0.109 and p = 0.163, respectively). Successful pathological outcome, observed in 53.2% of open and 58.3% of MI resections, supported noninferiority (difference 5.1%; 1-sided 95%CI - 4.7% to infinity). Successful short-term clinical outcome was documented in 93.3% of Open and 93.0% of MI procedures, and supported noninferiority as well (difference - 0.3%; 1-sided 95%CI - 5.0% to infinity). Conclusions Among patients with SFC, the minimally invasive approach met the criterion for noninferiority for postoperative complications and pathological outcomes, and was found to provide results of OS, CSM, and RR comparable to those of open resection

Post-Operative Functional Outcomes in Early Age Onset Rectal Cancer

Background: Impairment of bowel, urogenital and fertility-related function in patients treated for rectal cancer is common. While the rate of rectal cancer in the young (<50 years) is rising, there is little data on functional outcomes in this group. Methods: The REACCT international collaborative database was reviewed and data on eligible patients analysed. Inclusion criteria comprised patients with a histologically confirmed rectal cancer, <50 years of age at time of diagnosis and with documented follow-up including functional outcomes. Results: A total of 1428 (n=1428) patients met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis. Metastatic disease was present at diagnosis in 13%. Of these, 40% received neoadjuvant therapy and 50% adjuvant chemotherapy. The incidence of post-operative major morbidity was 10%. A defunctioning stoma was placed for 621 patients (43%); 534 of these proceeded to elective restoration of bowel continuity. The median follow-up time was 42 months. Of this cohort, a total of 415 (29%) reported persistent impairment of functional outcomes, the most frequent of which was bowel dysfunction (16%), followed by bladder dysfunction (7%), sexual dysfunction (4.5%) and infertility (1%). Conclusion: A substantial proportion of patients with early-onset rectal cancer who undergo surgery report persistent impairment of functional status. Patients should be involved in the discussion regarding their treatment options and potential impact on quality of life. Functional outcomes should be routinely recorded as part of follow up alongside oncological parameters

Advances in the surgical treatment of Crohn's disease

Despite the advances in medical treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD), most of the patients require one or more surgical bowel resections during their life for complicated disease. Surgery for CD has gone through progressive technical refinement over time. Minimally invasive surgery and bowel-sparing techniques have been validated with regard to surgical trauma reduction, and their role has been clearly defined in the current guidelines. Nevertheless, continuous technology advancement has further expanded the surgical tools with single-access and robotic-assisted surgery. With the aim of further reducing the impact of surgery, the concept of “strategic surgery” has been explored. On the one hand, patients’ optimization before surgery has the potential to reduce post-operative complications. On the other, early intervention for the uncomplicated disease before medical therapy escalation has been demonstrated equally reliable with respect to biologics in terms of quality of life and advantageous in terms of health-care costs. Ultimately, a better comprehension of the pathological mechanisms underlying the disease is the key to radically changing the surgical management of both abdominal and perianal CDs. In fact, novel surgical strategies aiming at reducing disease recurrence which take into account the anastomotic configuration and the role of the mesentery as an active player in the disease process have been pursued in the past decade. The purpose of this review is to describe the recent innovations in the surgical treatment of CD focusing on their potential impact on the short- and long-term outcomes

Short-term outcomes of surgical treatment for primary ileocaecal Crohn's disease: Results of the Crohn's(urg) study, a multicentre, retrospective, comparative analysis between inflammatory and complicated phenotypes

Crohn; Inflammatory; SurgeryCrohn; Inflamatori; CirurgiaCrohn; Inflamatorio; CirugíaAim Recent evidence challenges the current standard of offering surgery to patients with ileocaecal Crohn's disease (CD) only when they present complications of the disease. The aim of this study was to compare short-term results of patients who underwent primary ileocaecal resection for either inflammatory (luminal disease, earlier in the disease course) or complicated phenotypes, hypothesizing that the latter would be associated with worse postoperative outcomes. Method A retrospective, multicentre comparative analysis was performed including patients operated on for primary ileocaecal CD at 12 referral centres. Patients were divided into two groups according to indication of surgery for inflammatory (ICD) or complicated (CCD) phenotype. Short-term results were compared. Results A total of 2013 patients were included, with 291 (14.5%) in the ICD group. No differences were found between the groups in time from diagnosis to surgery. CCD patients had higher rates of low body mass index, anaemia (40.9% vs. 27%, p < 0.001) and low albumin (11.3% vs. 2.6%, p < 0.001). CCD patients had longer operations, lower rates of laparoscopic approach (84.3% vs. 93.1%, p = 0.001) and higher conversion rates (9.3% vs. 1.9%, p < 0.001). CCD patients had a longer hospital stay and higher postoperative complication rates (26.1% vs. 21.3%, p = 0.083). Anastomotic leakage and reoperations were also more frequent in this group. More patients in the CCD group required an extended bowel resection (14.1% vs. 8.3%, p: 0.017). In multivariate analysis, CCD was associated with prolonged surgery (OR 3.44, p = 0.001) and the requirement for multiple intraoperative procedures (OR 8.39, p = 0.030). Conclusion Indication for surgery in patients who present with an inflammatory phenotype of CD was associated with better outcomes compared with patients operated on for complications of the disease. There was no difference between groups in time from diagnosis to surgery

Dataset related to article: "Single-stapled anastomosis is associated with a lower anastomotic leak rate than double-stapled technique after minimally invasive total mesorectal excision for MRI-defined low rectal cancer"

&lt;p&gt;This record contains raw data related to article: "&lt;strong&gt;Single-stapled anastomosis is associated with a lower anastomotic leak rate than double-stapled technique after minimally invasive total mesorectal excision for MRI-defined low rectal cancer"&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;After total mesorectal excision, distal rectal transection and anastomosis are critical for short-term, oncological, and functional outcomes, including anastomotic leak. A double-pursestring, single-stapled anastomosis avoids cross-stapling, overcoming the potential drawbacks of transabdominal rectal transection and double-stapled anastomosis. This study aims to compare the anastomotic leak rate in double-stapled and single-stapled anastomoses after minimally invasive total mesorectal excision for magnetic resonance imaging-defined low rectal cancer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Adult patients (&gt;18 years old) undergoing minimally invasive total mesorectal excision for magnetic resonance imaging-defined low rectal cancer with a stapled low anastomosis (below 5 centimeters from the anal verge) between January 2010 and January 2022 at a single institution were allocated to 2 groups according to the anastomosis: double-stapled (abdominal stapled transection and double-stapled anastomosis) or single-stapled (transanal rectal transection and double-pursestring single-stapled anastomosis). The exclusion criteria were nonrestorative procedures or any type of manual anastomosis. The primary endpoint was the rate of 90-day clinical and radiologic anastomotic leak.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;In total, 185 single-stapled and 458 double-stapled were included. Clinical and tumor characteristics were comparable between the groups. The 90-day anastomotic leak rate was significantly lower in the single-stapled group (6.48% vs 15.28%; P = .002), with similar rates of grade and timing. Thirty- and 90-day complication rates were higher in the double-stapled group (P = .0001; P = .02), with comparable Clavien-Dindo grades. At multivariable analysis, double-stapled anastomosis (P = .01), active smoking (P = .03), and the presence of comorbidities (P = .01) resulted as independent risk factors for an anastomotic leak.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;Transanal transection and double-pursestring, single-stapled anastomosis were associated with a lower anastomotic leak rate after minimally invasive total mesorectal excision for magnetic resonance imaging-defined low rectal cancer.&lt;/p&gt

Dataset related to article: "Transanal transection and single-stapling techniques are associated with shorter rectal cuff and lower urgency rate after pouch surgery compared with the double-stapled approach"

&lt;p&gt;This record contains raw data related to article &ldquo;Transanal transection and single-stapling techniques are associated with shorter rectal cuff and lower urgency rate after pouch surgery compared with the double-stapled approach"&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;Abstract&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;h3&gt;Background&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Ileal pouch-anal&nbsp;&lt;a title="Learn more about anastomosis from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/surgical-anastomosis"&gt;anastomosis&lt;/a&gt;&nbsp;is most commonly performed by double-stapling technique after rectal transection with a linear stapler. Double-stapling is increasingly criticized for the uneven longer cuffs and potential weak points. A transanal rectal transection and single-stapled anastomosis may potentially overcome the limitations of double-stapling. A single-stapled anastomosis may be accomplished through a transanal rectal transection followed by bottom-up dissection (transanal-ileal pouch-anal anastomosis) or through an abdominal, rectal dissection and subsequent transanal transection and single-stapled anastomosis. The purpose of this study is to compare short-term and functional outcomes of double-stapling versus single-stapled techniques for ileal pouch-anal anastomosis.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;This is a single-institution, ambidirectional study. Patients with ulcerative colitis undergoing ileal pouch-anal anastomosis between 2014 and 2021 were included in the study and allocated into 2 groups: group 1, including double stapled ileal pouch anal anastomosis, and group 2, including single-stapled-ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. The primary endpoint was the difference in functional parameters.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;A total of 130 patients were included, 46 undergoing double-stapling-ileal pouch-anal anastomosis and 84 receiving single-stapled ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. Rectal-cuff length&nbsp;(defined as the distance between the dentate line and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis) was&nbsp;shorter after single-stapled compared with double-stapling ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (1.98 &plusmn; 0.21 vs 2.20 &plusmn; 0.53 cm,&nbsp;&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt;&nbsp;= .01).&nbsp;&lt;a title="Learn more about Anastomotic leak from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/anastomosis-leakage"&gt;Anastomotic leak&lt;/a&gt;&nbsp;rate was comparable between group 1 and group 2 (6% vs 5%,&nbsp;&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt;&nbsp;= .69). Functional parameters were comparable except for urgency, which was lower for single-stapled compared with double-stapling ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (8%, vs 30%,&nbsp;&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt;&nbsp;= .002).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt; &lt;h3&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Single-stapled ileal pouch-anal anastomosis was associated with a shorter rectal cuff and lower urgency than double-stapling ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. In our opinion, these results warrant a prospective multicentric trial to scrutinize and confirm these benefits on a larger scale.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis with fluorescence angiography: a case-matched study

An anastomotic leak in ileoanal pouch surgery may lead to pouch failure. Constructing a tension-free ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) reduces this risk but can be technically challenging, balancing pouch vascularization with ileal mesenteric length and site of vessel ligation. Fluorescence angiography (FA) may help the clinician make a more balanced judgement

A comparative cost analysis of transanal and laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer

Despite proven clinical benefits in the short term, technical difficulties limit utilization of laparoscopy in rectal cancer surgery (RCS). Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision (taTME) overcomes many technical limitations of laparoscopic RCS. However, the costs of this procedure have not been addressed yet. Our goal was to perform a comparative cost analysis of taTME and laparoscopic TME (lapTME). Consecutive patients undergoing curative TME between 1 February 2014 and 31 October 2018 were selected from a prospectively maintained database and stratified, according to the type of procedure, into taTME and lapTME groups. Patient demographics, tumour characteristics, operative parameters, and short-term outcomes were analyzed. The main outcome measure was intraoperative costs of the two procedures. Secondary outcomes were short-term outcome and the utilization of hospital resources to manage the postoperative course. Hundred and fifty-two patients with rectal cancer (66 lapTME, 86 taTME) were included in the study. Surgical supplies required for taTME procedure exceeded the cost of lapTME of 754,54 €. The duration of surgery was not significantly different between the two approaches (266 ± 92.85 vs 271 ± 83.63, p = 0.50). Short-term outcomes were comparable including postoperative complication rate (17 vs 20%, p = 0.68), reintervention rate, and length of stay. There was no difference in hospital resources utilization to manage postoperative course including blood test, diagnostics, consultations, and medications. TaTME has higher intraoperative costs in terms of supplies with respect to lapTME. Short-term outcomes and hospital resources to manage postoperative course are comparable

Different Oncologic Outcomes in Early-Onset and Late-Onset Sporadic Colorectal Cancer: A Regression Analysis on 2073 Patients

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing in the population aged ≤ 49 (early-onset CRC-EOCRC). Recent studies highlighted the biological and clinical differences between EOCRC and late-onset CRC (LOCRC-age ≥ 50), while comparative results about long-term survival are still debated. This study aimed to investigate whether age of onset may impact on oncologic outcomes in a surgical population of sporadic CRC patients. Patients operated on for sporadic CRC from January 2010 to January 2022 were allocated to the EOCRC and LOCRC groups. The primary endpoint was the recurrence/progression-free survival (R/PFS). A total of 423 EOCRC and 1650 LOCRC was included. EOCRC had a worse R/PFS (p p p = 0.014), and early age of onset was an independent predictor for recurrence (p = 0.035). Early age of onset was an independent predictor for worse prognosis, this effect was stronger in stage I patients suggesting a potentially—and still unknown—more aggressive tumoral phenotype in EOCRC