Backgrounds The inflammatory biomarker “C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR)” has been reported to significantly correlate to a variety of human cancers. However, there are conflicting results regarding the prognostic value of CAR in colorectal cancer. Previous studies mainly assessed patients in Eastern countries, so their findings may not be applicable to the Western population. Therefore, this updated meta-analysis aimed to investigate the prognostic value of pre-treatment CAR and outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods We conducted a systematic search for eligible literature until October 31, 2020, using PubMed and Embase databases. Studies assessing pre-treatment CAR and outcomes of colorectal cancer were included. Outcome measures included overall survival, disease-free survival, progression-free survival, and clinicopathological features. The pooled hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used as effective values. Results A total of 15 studies involving 6329 patients were included in this study. The pooled results indicated that a high pre-treatment CAR was associated with poor overall survival (HR 2.028, 95% CI 1.808−2.275, p < 0.001) and poor disease-free survival/progression-free survival (HR 1.768, 95% CI 1.321–2.365, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed a constant prognostic value of the pre-treatment CAR despite different study regions, sample size, cancer stage, treatment methods, or the cut-off value used. We also noted a correlation between high pre-treatment CAR and old age, male sex, colon cancer, advanced stage (III/IV), large tumor size, poor differentiation, elevated carcinoembryonic antigen levels, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and the modified Glasgow prognostic score. Conclusions High pre-treatment CAR was associated with poor overall survival, disease-free survival, and progression-free survival in colorectal cancer. It can serve as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer in clinical practice.

Backgrounds Though better short-term outcomes were frequently reported, differences in specimen parameters and the rate of subsequent peritoneal recurrence between intracorporeal anastomosis (IA) and extracorporeal anastomoses (EA) for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy have not been analyzed. We aimed to compare the pathologic differences and oncological outcomes between these two approaches. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 217 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomies from September 2016 to April 2018 and classified them into IA and EA groups, based on the approach used. Propensity score matching analysis was performed, after which 101 patients were included in each group with the patients matched for demographics, tumor stage, and localization. Results The IA group had a longer operative time, shorter length of stay, shorter time to first flatus and tolerating a soft diet, and better pain scale scores at postoperative day 3. No inter-group differences in conversion, postoperative complication, mortality, or readmission rates were found. The IA group had a longer resected colon length (23.67 vs. 19.75 cm, p = 0.010) and nearest resected margin (7.51 vs. 5.40 cm, p = 0.010) for cancer near the hepatic flexure. There are comparable 3-year overall survival (87.7% vs. 89.6%, p = 0.604) and disease-free survival (75.0% vs. 75.7%, p = 0.842) between the IA and EA groups. The rate of peritoneal recurrence was similar between the two groups (5.9% vs. 7.9%, p = 0.580). Conclusions The overall survival, disease-free survival, and the rate of peritoneal recurrence were comparable between the IA and EA procedures. IA ensures better recovery and comparable complications to EA and achieved a more precise tumor excision; thus, IA can be considered a safe procedure for patients with right-sided colon lesions.

In this study and literature review, patients had laparoscopic repair with a smooth recovery. Laparoscopy provides good surgical exposure, allowing easy repositioning of the herniated content and a smooth repair of the defect without the morbidity of laparotomy. For CTDH, with caution, we can apply this technique with an acceptable result.

Research on the relationship between the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and postoperative complications/oncological outcomes in elderly colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is limited. This study investigated the prognostic value of the GNRI in aged CRC patients. We retrospectively analyzed 1206 consecutive CRC patients aged over 75 years who underwent curative-intent surgery from January 2008 to December 2015 and categorized them into high GNRI (≥98) and low GNRI (<98) groups according to a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to explore the association of the GNRI with postoperative complications. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses and the Cox proportional hazard model were used to explore the association between GNRI and survival. We discovered that GNRI is an independent risk factor for postoperative complications (HR: 1.774, p = 0.037). Surgical site infection, wound dehiscence and pneumonia were more common in patients with GNRI < 98. Survival analysis showed significantly worse overall survival and disease-free survival in the low GNRI group (both p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, GNRI < 98 was an independent risk factor for OS (HR: 1.329, p = 0.031) and DFS (HR: 1.312, p = 0.034). Thus, preoperative GNRI can be effectively used to predict postoperative complications and long-term survival in elderly CRC patients after curative surgery.