The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a simple and widely available parameter obtained from a complete blood cell count test and is usually used in the analysis of anemia. Recently, studies have discovered the association between RDW and the host inflammatory response of cancer patients. We aimed to determine the prognostic value of RDW in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. 5315 total patients with stage I-II CRC from the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 2001 and 2018 were enrolled. The study cohort was divided into two groups using RDW = 13.8 as the cutoff value as determined by receiver operating curve. High RDW had worse overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS), and was also independently related to older age, more advanced tumor stage, lower albumin level, lower hemoglobin level, and more co-morbidities including diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. We performed a propensity-score matched analysis to balance the heterogeneity between the two groups and to reduce the influence of confounding factors that may have compromised the prognosis. High RDW remained a negative predictor of OS (HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.25–1.78), as well as DFS and CSS. In conclusion, this is the first report using propensity matching to demonstrate the relationship between RDW and the prognosis of early-stage CRC patients.
Background/Aims: The study aimed to perform a meta-analysis comparing laparoscopic and open surgery for diverticulitis. Methods: Studies comparing the outcomes of laparoscopic surgery versus open surgery for diverticulitis that reported quantitative data were included. Outcome measures were mortality and morbidity rates and length of hospital stay. Results: Four randomized controlled trials - 3 prospective and 21 retrospective - were included in the analysis. The total numbers of patients ranged from 5 to 14,562 in the laparoscopic groups and from 4 to 110,172 in the open surgery groups, and the mean patient age ranged from 38.9 to 78 years. Overall analysis revealed that laparoscopic surgery was associated with lower mortality (pooled OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.25-0.63, p < 0.001) and a lower overall morbidity rate (pooled OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.82, p < 0.001) than open surgery. Laparoscopic surgery was associated with a higher anastomotic bleeding rate, but lower rates of ileus, anastomotic leakage, small bowel obstruction, wound infection, fascial dehiscence and intra-abdominal abscesses. Length of hospital stay was less with laparoscopic surgery. Conclusions: The current meta-analysis supports the use of laparoscopy for the treatment of diverticulitis. The results, however, should be interpreted with caution.
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