BackgroundThe impact of body composition on the short- or long-term outcomes of patients with surgically treated advanced rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy remains unclear. This study examined the correlation between low skeletal muscle mass and morbidity and survival in patients with advanced lower rectal cancer.MethodsWe enrolled 144 clinical stage II/III patients with advanced lower rectal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by curative resection between 2004 and 2011. The cross-sectional skeletal muscle area at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) level was evaluated by computed tomography before chemoradiotherapy, and this was normalized by the square of the height to obtain the skeletal muscle index. Low skeletal muscle mass was defined as the sex-specific lowest quartile of the L3 skeletal muscle index. The association between low skeletal muscle mass and morbidity, relapse-free survival, or overall survival was assessed.ResultsLow skeletal muscle mass was identified in 37 (25.7%) patients. Age and body mass index were associated with low skeletal muscle mass. By multivariate analysis, we found that low skeletal muscle mass was independently associated with poor overall survival (hazard ratio = 2.93; 95%CI: 1.11–7.71; p = 0.031) and relapse-free survival (hazard ratio = 2.15; 95%CI: 1.06–4.21; p = 0.035), but was not associated with the rate of postoperative complications.ConclusionsLow skeletal muscle mass is an independent negative prognostic factor for relapse-free and overall survival in patients with advanced lower rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

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Bowel herniation through the space between the exposed structures after pelvic lymphadenectomy is a very rare cause of postoperative bowel obstruction. Here, a case of laparoscopic release of bowel migration into the space after pelvic lymphadenectomy is described. This is the seventh such reported case in the world. A 38-year-old woman who had a history of undergoing laparoscopic radical hysterectomy and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy for cervical cancer was diagnosed with strangulated bowel obstruction. Emergency laparoscopic surgery was performed, and bowel migration into the space between the right umbilical artery and the obturator nerve was detected. The loop of strangulated bowel was released laparoscopically, and bowel blood flow was improved. To prevent recurrence of bowel migration, the umbilical artery was resected. It is very important to consider the possibility of bowel herniation into the space between exposed structures in patients with bowel obstruction after minimally invasive pelvic lymphadenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer has been excluded from 7 randomized trials for various reasons. The optimal procedure for transverse colon cancer remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the patterns of lymph node metastasis in transverse colon cancer and to report short- and long-term outcomes of the treatment procedures. DESIGN: This was a single-center retrospective study. SETTINGS: This study was conducted at Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. PATIENTS: We enrolled 252 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer. INTERVENTIONS: The transverse colon was divided into 3 segments, and the procedures for transverse colon cancer were based on these segments, as follows: right hemicolectomy, transverse colectomy, and left hemicolectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperatively, the surgeons identified and mapped the lymph nodes from specimens and performed formalin fixation separately to compare the results of the pathological findings. RESULTS: For right-sided, middle-segment, and left-sided transverse colon cancers, the frequency of lymph node metastases was 28.2%, 19.2%, and 19.2%. Skipped lymph node metastasis occurred in right-sided and left-sided transverse colon cancers but not in middle-segment transverse colon cancers. The pathological vascular invasion rate was significantly higher in right and left hemicolectomy than in transverse colectomy. For right hemicolectomy, transverse colectomy, and left hemicolectomy, 5-year overall survival rates were 96.3%, 92.7%, and 93.7%, and relapse-free survival rates were 92.4%, 88.3%, and 95.5%. In multivariate analysis, the independent risk factor for relapse-free survival was lymph node metastasis. LIMITATIONS: Selection bias and different backgrounds may have influenced surgical and long-term outcomes. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer may be a feasible technique. Harvested lymph node mapping after laparoscopic resection based on D3 lymphadenectomy may help guide the field of dissection when managing patients who have transverse colon cancer. The only independent prognostic factor for relapse-free survival was node-positive cancer. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B706. MAPEO DE GANGLIOS LINFÁTICOS EN CÁNCER DE COLON TRANSVERSO TRATADO MEDIANTE COLECTOMÍA LAPAROSCÓPICA CON LINFADENECTOMÍA D3 ANTECEDENTES: La cirugía laparoscópica en casos de cáncer de colon transverso fué excluida de siete estudios randomizados mayores por diversas razones. El procedimiento más idóneo en casos de cáncer de colon transverso, sigue siendo controvertido. OBJETIVO: Analizar los patrones de las metástasis en los ganglios linfáticos en casos de cáncer de colon transverso y reportar los resultados a corto y largo plazo de los diferentes procedimientos para su tratamiento. DISEÑO: Estudio retrospectivo en un solo centro de referencia. AJUSTE: Estudio llevado a cabo en el Hospital del Instituto del Cancer, Tokio, Japón. PACIENTES: Fueron incluidos 252 pacientes, sometidos a cirugía laparoscópica por cáncer de colon transverso. INTERVENCIONES: El colon transverso fué dividido en tres segmentos y los procedimientos en casos de cáncer se basaron sobre estos segmentos del tranverso, de la siguiente manera: hemicolectomía derecha, colectomía transversa y hemicolectomía izquierda. PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO: En el postoperatorio, los cirujanos identificaron y mapearon los ganglios linfáticos de las piezas quirúrgicas y las fijaron con formaldehido por separado para así poder comparar los resultados con los hallazgos histopatológicos. RESULTADOS: En los cánceres de colon transverso del segmento derecho, del segmento medio y del segmento izquierdo, la frecuencia de metástasis en los ganglios linfáticos fue del 28,2%, 19,2% y 19,2%, respectivamente. Las metástasis en los ganglios linfáticos omitidos se produjo en los cánceres de colon transverso del lado derecho y del lado izquierdo, pero no en los cánceres de colon transverso del segmento medio. La tasa de invasión vascular patológica fue significativamente mayor en la hemicolectomía derecha e izquierda que en la colectomía transversa. Para la hemicolectomía derecha, colectomía transversa y hemicolectomía izquierda, las tasas de supervivencia general a cinco años fueron del 96,3%, 92,7% y 93,7%, y las tasas de supervivencia sin recaída fueron del 92,4%, 88,3% y 95,5%, respectivamente. En el análisis multivariado, el factor de riesgo independiente para la sobrevida sin recidiva fue la metástasis en los ganglios linfáticos. LIMITACIONES: El sesgo de selección y los diferentes antecedentes pueden haber influido en los resultados quirúrgicos a largo plazo. CONCLUSIONES: La cirugía laparoscópica en casos de cáncer de colon transverso puede ser una técnica factible. El mapeo de los ganglios linfáticos recolectados después de la resección laparoscópica basada en la linfadenectomía D3 puede ayudar a guiar el campo de la disección en el manejo de pacientes con cáncer de colon transverso. El único factor pronóstico independiente para el SLR fue el cáncer con ganglios positivos. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B706. (Traducción—Dr. Xavier Delgadillo)