Quality of life and function after rectal cancer surgery with and without sphincter preservation

Despite improvements in surgical techniques, functional outcomes and quality of life after therapy for rectal cancer remain suboptimal. We sought to prospectively evaluate the effect of bowel, bladder, and sexual functional outcomes on health-related quality of life (QOL) in patients with restorative versus non-restorative resections after rectal cancer surgery. A cohort of 211 patients with clinical stage I-III rectal cancer who underwent open surgery between 2006 and 2009 at Memorial Sloan Kettering were included. Subjects were asked to complete surveys preoperatively and at 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Validated instruments were used to measure QOL, bowel, bladder, and sexual function. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses evaluated predictors of 24- month QOL. In addition, longitudinal trends over the study period were evaluated using repeated measures models. In total, 180 patients (85%) completed at least 1 survey, and response rates at each time point were high (>70%). QOL was most impaired at 6 and 12 months and returned to baseline levels at 24 months. Among patients who underwent sphincter-preserving surgery (SPS; n=153 [85%]), overall bowel function at 24 months was significantly impaired and never returned to baseline. There were no differences in QOL at 24 months between patients who underwent SPS and those who did not (p=.29). Bowel function was correlated with QOL at 24 months (Pearson correlation,.41; p<.001). QOL among patients who have undergone SPS for rectal cancer is good despite poor function. Patients with ostomies are able to adjust to the functional changes and, overall, have good global QOL. Patients with low anastomoses had lower global QOL at 24 months than patients with permanent stomas. Our findings can help patients set expectations about function and quality of life after surgery for rectal cancer with and without a permanent stoma

Comparative analysis of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Bowel Function Instrument and the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Questionnaire for assessment of bowel dysfunction in rectal cancer patients after low anterior resection

Aim Neoadjuvant therapy and total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer are associated with bowel dysfunction symptoms known as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). Our study compared the only two validated instruments—the LARS Questionnaire (LARS-Q) and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Bowel Function Instrument (MSK-BFI)—in rectal cancer patients undergoing sphincter-preserving TME. Methods One hundred and ninety patients undergoing sphincter-preserving TME for Stage I–III rectal cancer completed the MSK-BFI and LARS-Q simultaneously at a median time of 12 (range 1–43) months after restoration of bowel continuity. Associations between the MSK-BFI total/subscale scores and the LARS-Q score were investigated using Spearman rank correlation (r s). Discriminant validity for the two questionnaires was assessed, and the questionnaires were compared with the European Quality of Life Instrument. Results Major LARS was identified in 62% of patients. The median MSK-BFI scores for no LARS, minor LARS and major LARS were 76.5, 70 and 57, respectively. We found a strong association between MSK-BFI and LARS-Q (r s −0.79). The urgency/soilage subscale (r s −0.7) and the frequency subscale (rs −0.68) of MSK-BFI strongly correlated with LARS-Q. Low correlation was observed between the MSK-BFI diet subscale and LARS-Q (r s −0.39). On multivariate analysis, both questionnaires showed worse bowel function in patients with distal tumours. A low to moderate correlation with the European Quality of Life Instrument was observed for both questionnaires. Conclusions The MSK-BFI and LARS-Q showed good correlation and similar discriminant validity. As the LARS-Q is easier to complete, it may be considered the preferred tool to screen for bowel dysfunction

Global benchmarks for pelvic exenteration surgery: a multicentre analysis of patients with locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer

No abstract available

A rectal cancer organoid platform to study individual responses to chemoradiation

Rectal cancer (RC) is a challenging disease to treat that requires chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to optimize outcomes for individual patients. No accurate model of RC exists to answer fundamental research questions relevant to patients. We established a biorepository of 65 patient-derived RC organoid cultures (tumoroids) from patients with primary, metastatic or recurrent disease. RC tumoroids retained molecular features of the tumors from which they were derived, and their ex vivo responses to clinically relevant chemotherapy and radiation treatment correlated with the clinical responses noted in individual patients' tumors. Upon engraftment into murine rectal mucosa, human RC tumoroids gave rise to invasive RC followed by metastasis to lung and liver. Importantly, engrafted tumors displayed the heterogenous sensitivity to chemotherapy observed clinically. Thus, the biology and drug sensitivity of RC clinical isolates can be efficiently interrogated using an organoid-based, ex vivo platform coupled with in vivo endoluminal propagation in animals