Quality of surgical care, local recurrence, and survival in patients with low- and midrectal cancers following multimodal therapy.

Purpose: To assess the quality of surgical care and outcome following multimodal treatment for low- and midrectal cancers, focusing on differences between low anterior and abdominoperineal resections.

Methods: From 1999 to 2007, 179 patients underwent low anterior resection (LAR), abdominoperineal resection (APR), or proctocolectomy for low- or midrectal cancers. Preoperative (chemo)radiotherapy was given according to local guidelines and adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy in stage III disease. Outcome together with clinical and histopathological data were analyzed in relation to the type of surgery performed.

Results: The postoperative mortality was 2.2%; morbidity, 39.6%; reoperation rate, 8.4%; and readmission rate, 16.0%. Involved circumferential resection margin (CRM ≤ 1 mm) rate was 4.5% (APR 9.1% vs. LAR 2.6%, p = 0.046). Intraoperative bowel perforation occurred in 5.5% of APRs. Anastomotic leak rate was 15.3%. The 5-year overall survival of the 179 patients was 68.5 %; disease-specific survival, 82.2%; and local recurrence rate, 6.3%. The overall, disease-specific, and disease-free survival rates in the 162 patients treated for cure were 73.1%, 84.6%, and 78.3%, and local recurrence rate was 4.4% with no significant differences between LAR and APR. CRM was the only independent predictor of local recurrence and CRM, tumor stage, and level independent predictors of disease-free survival.

Conclusions: Quality of surgical care was in line with the current international standards. CRM was an independent predictor for local recurrence and CRM, tumor stage, and level independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. Neither the type of surgery (LAR vs. APR) nor the surgical approach (laparoscopic vs. open) influenced the oncologic outcome.