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Background: Anastomotic leakage (AL) is one of the most severe and frequent complications occurring after laparoscopic low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer. This study aimed to examine the association between circular stapler size and AL after laparoscopic LAR., Methods: This retrospective single-institution study involved 181 patients with rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic LAR performed by a single surgical team between July 2016 and June 2021. The characteristics of the patients were analyzed. Risk factors for AL were identified via univariate and multivariate analyses. Additionally, a further propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the selection bias., Results: Among the 181 patients who underwent laparoscopic LAR for rectal cancer, 17 (9.4%) developed clinical AL. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, male sex, incomplete intestinal obstruction, and the usage of a 32-mm stapler during the surgery were independent risk factors for the occurrence of AL. Furthermore, the PSM analysis confirmed that the incidence of AL with a 32-mm stapler was higher than that with a 29-mm stapler after laparoscopic low anterior resection. However, there was no difference in the incidence of anastomotic bleeding and stenosis., Conclusion: Choosing a smaller-diameter circular stapler may reduce the incidence of AL after laparoscopic LARfor rectal cancer without increasing the incidence of anastomotic stenosis., Competing Interests: None

Importance: Two large randomized clinical trials (RCTs) found that laparoscopic surgery failed to yield noninferior pathologic outcomes compared with open surgery for patients with rectal cancer. The results raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of the laparoscopic approach for patients with rectal cancer., Objective: To compare the long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic and open surgery for patients with rectal cancer., Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from database inception to August 13, 2021. Studies published in English were retrieved., Study Selection: The meta-analysis included RCTs that compared laparoscopic surgery with open surgery for patients with rectal cancer and reported the outcome of disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS). The following exclusion criteria were used: (1) non-RCTs, (2) studies without long-term survival outcomes of interest, and (3) studies that did not report Kaplan-Meier survival curves., Data Extraction and Synthesis: This meta-analysis was performed in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses reporting guideline for individual participant data development groups. Individual participant data on DFS and OS were extracted from the published Kaplan-Meier survival curves. One-stage and 2-stage meta-analyses were performed., Main Outcomes and Measures: Meta-analyses were conducted for DFS and OS. Hazard ratios (HRs) were used as effective measures., Results: Of 8471 records screened, 10 articles with 12 RCTs and 3709 participants were selected. The reconstructed survival curves for the combined population showed that the 5-year estimated DFS rates were 72.2% (95% CI, 69.4%-74.8%) for the laparoscopic group and 70.1% (95% CI, 67.0%-73.0%) for the open surgery group, and the 5-year estimated OS rates were 76.2% (95% CI, 73.8%-78.5%) for the laparoscopic group and 72.7% (95% CI, 69.8%-75.3%) for open surgery group. In 1-stage meta-analyses, DFS had a nonsignificant HR of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.80-1.06; P = .26), which suggested that DFS in the laparoscopic and open surgery groups was comparable; however, OS was significantly better in the laparoscopic group (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.97; P = .02). The results were confirmed by 2-stage meta-analyses and were validated by sensitivity analysis with large RCTs., Conclusions and Relevance: A similar DFS but significantly better OS were found for patients who have undergone laparoscopic surgery compared with open surgery for rectal cancer. These findings address concerns regarding the effectiveness of laparoscopic surgery and support the routine use of laparoscopic surgery for patients with rectal cancer.

Background: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the association between microfibrillar collagen hemostat and anastomotic leakage after anterior resection., Method: Between March 2015 and December 2019, a total of 203 consecutive rectal cancer patients who underwent elective anterior resection were included. Patient parameters were analyzed. The relevant risk factors were identified by univariate and multivariate analysis. Propensity score matching was performed to reduce the selection bias., Results: In total, 26 (12.8%) of the 203 study patients developed clinical anastomotic leakage. The length of hospital stay was significantly prolonged by anastomotic leakage. In univariate analysis and multivariate analysis, male sex, low tumor location, and intraoperative application of microfibrillar collagen hemostat significantly increased the risk of anastomotic leakage. Furthermore, analysis after propensity score matching confirmed the independent role of microfibrillar collagen hemostat in anastomotic leakage. In addition, the median time of anastomotic leakage occurrence from the initial operation in patients with microfibrillar collagen hemostat was 9.00 days, which was significantly later than that in patients without microfibrillar collagen hemostat., Conclusion: In addition to male sex and low tumor location, intraoperative application of microfibrillar collagen hemostat was demonstrated to be a significant risk factor for anastomotic leakage. This finding suggested that surgeons should be fully aware of this potential risk in anterior resection. Because of the limitation of retrospective study, however, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this association in the future., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Surgeons have concerns whether high ligation (HL) of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) increases the incidence of anastomotic leakage (AL). This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the influence of HL of the IMA on AL compared with low ligation (LL)., Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched. Randomized controlled trial studies that compared HL with LL of the IMA in anterior resection for rectal cancer and reported AL outcomes were eligible for inclusion. The odds ratios and mean differences were analysed by a random-effects model. Trial sequential analysis was performed to minimize the risk of random errors. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to evaluate the quality of evidence for outcomes., Results: Of the 531 records screened, five randomized controlled trials with 779 patients were selected for analysis. The pooled incidence of AL was 12.1% (95% Cl 7.77-18.26) in the HL group and 9.7% (95% Cl 5.79-15.82) in the LL group (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.77-1.87, P = 0.42). In trial sequential analysis, the cumulative Z-score curve exceeded the futility boundary, although the required information size of 1060 had not been reached. The quality of evidence was judged to be high according to the GRADE approach., Conclusions: This meta-analysis shows that HL of the IMA does not increase the incidence of AL in anterior resection for rectal cancer., (© 2020 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.)

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the number of nodes harvested and the rate of node positivity, and to evaluate the effect of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) in improving lymph node detection and staging accuracy in patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) followed by curative resection., Study Design: Between September 2008 and June 2014, 152 consecutive rectal cancer patients treated with NCRT and curative resection were included. Forty-five patients underwent preoperative submucosal injection of CNPs (CNP group); the other patients underwent surgery only (control group). The relationship between the number of lymph nodes harvested and the rate of node positivity was investigated. A comparison of the number of harvested lymph nodes and the node positivity rate between the 2 groups was also performed. The lymph nodes in the CNP group were analyzed in detail., Results: The rate of node positivity increased gradually from 8.6% in patients with 1 to 5 nodes assessed to 37.8% in patients with 17 to 44 nodes assessed. The number of lymph nodes harvested was an independent risk factor for node positivity (p = 0.036). The mean number of lymph nodes retrieved in the CNP group was more than in the control group (21.1 vs 8.0, p = 0.000). The percentage of patients with positive lymph nodes was lower than in the control group (19.6% vs 35.6%, p = 0.037). In the CNP group, of 58 metastatic lymph nodes, 45 (77.6%) were dyed. Of 37 metastatic lymph nodes smaller than 5 mm, 33 (89.2%) were dyed., Conclusions: More precise oncologic prognosis assessment was provided for patients with rectal cancer after NCRT by increasing the number of lymph nodes counted using a dye-tracing method, indicating that the use of CNPs is beneficial., (Copyright © 2015 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/aims: Incomplete total mesorectal excision (TME) may lead to local recurrence. Factors predicting suboptimal quality of laparoscopic TME have not been well documented. The aim of the prospective observational study was to evaluate factors influencing the quality of laparoscopic TME., Methodology: Patients undergoing laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer between October 2012 and March 2013 were included. Uni- and multivariate logistic analysis were performed to identify factors independently predicting the suboptimal quality of laparoscopic TME., Results: A total of 52 patients undergoing laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer were included for analysis. Mesorectal resection was complete in 71.2%, nearly complete in 17.3%, and incomplete in 11.5%. Factors found to be significantly related to suboptimal TME in univariate analysis were as follows: BMI ≥ 25 kg/ cm2 (OR = 11.79, 95% CI: 2.88-48.25; p = 0.003) and advanced tumor stage (pT3/4) (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.41-100.00; p = 0.023). Multivariate analysis identified BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (OR = 21.05, 95%CI: 3.26-136.06; p = 0.010), advanced tumor stage (pT3/4) (OR = 19.03, 95% CI: 1.55-233.88; p = 0.021) and neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (OR = 29.76, 95% CI: 1.65-537.93; p = 0.022) as factors that were independently related to suboptimal TME., Conclusions: Laparoscopic TME is feasible with the quality of mesorectal excision which was influenced by patient-, tumor-, and treat- ment-related factors.