Comparison between early surgical treatment and conservative treatment of appendicitis in cancer patients.

Backgrounds: In cancer patients, the optimal appendicitis treatment has not been established. Therefore, we aimed to determine the ideal treatment option for appendicitis in cancer patients. Methods: This retrospective study included 185 cancer patients with acute appendicitis who were divided into the early surgical group (n = 152) involving surgery performed within 48 h following the appendicitis diagnosis or the conservative group (n = 33) involving intravenous antibiotics. We compared the appendicitis treatment efficacy between the groups. Results: In the early surgical group, the antibiotic duration [5.5 days (4.0–8.0) vs. 17.0 days (12.5–25.0), p < 0.001] and hospital stay length [7.0 days (5.0–11.75) vs. 10.0 days (8.0–32.0), p < 0.001] were significantly shorter. Regarding pathology, 16/171 (9.4%) patients who underwent surgery exhibited appendiceal tumours. During the 1‐year follow‐up period, one recurrence occurred in each group [1/152 (0.7%) vs. 1/33 (3.0%), p = 0.326]. The 1‐year treatment success rate was higher in the early surgical group [99.3% (151/152) vs. 42.4% (14/33), p < 0.001]. Conclusion: Early surgical treatment yielded a significantly higher success rate than conservative treatment for appendicitis in cancer patients. Surgery for appendicitis in cancer patients should be considered not only for treatment but also for pathologic confirmation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]