BackgroundAs the survival of patients with rectal cancer has improved in recent decades, more and more patients have to live with the consequences of rectal cancer surgery. An influential factor in... Show moreBackgroundAs the survival of patients with rectal cancer has improved in recent decades, more and more patients have to live with the consequences of rectal cancer surgery. An influential factor in long-term Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is the presence of a stoma. This study aimed to better understand the long-term consequences of a stoma and poor functional outcomes.MethodsPatients who underwent curative surgery for a primary tumor located in the rectosigmoid and rectum between 2013 and 2020 were identified from the nationwide Prospective Dutch Colorectal Cancer (PLCRC) cohort study. Patients received the following questionnaires: EORTC-QLQ-CR29, EORTC-QLQ-C30, and the LARS-score at 12 months, 24 months and 36 months after surgery.ResultsA total of 1,170 patients were included of whom 751 (64.2%) had no stoma, 122 (10.4%) had a stoma at primary surgery, 45 (3.8%) had a stoma at secondary surgery and 252 (21.5%) patients that underwent abdominoperineal resection (APR). Of all patients without a stoma, 41.4% reported major low-anterior resection syndrome (LARS). Patients without a stoma reported significantly better HRQoL. Moreover, patients without a stoma significantly reported an overall better HRQoL.ConclusionThe presence of a stoma and poor functional outcomes were both associated with reduced HRQoL. Patients with poor functional outcomes, defined as major LARS, reported a similar level of HRQoL compared to patients with a stoma. In addition, the HRQoL after rectal cancer surgery does not change significantly after the first year after surgery. Show less
BackgroundColorectal cancer is diagnosed in approximately 500,000 patients each year in Europe, leading to a high number of patients having to cope with the consequences of resection for colorectal... Show moreBackgroundColorectal cancer is diagnosed in approximately 500,000 patients each year in Europe, leading to a high number of patients having to cope with the consequences of resection for colorectal cancer. As treatment options tend to grow, more information on the effects of these treatments is needed to engage in shared decision-making. This study aims to explore the impact of resection for colorectal cancer on patients' daily life.MethodsPatients (≥18 years of age) who underwent an oncological colorectal resection between 2018 and 2021 were selected. Purposeful sampling was used to include patients who differed in age, comorbidity conditions, types of (neo)adjuvant therapy, postoperative complications and the presence/absence of a stoma. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, guided by a topic guide. Interviews were fully transcribed and subsequently thematically analysed using the framework approach. Analyses were carried out using the following predefined themes: (1) daily life and activities; (2) psychological functioning; (3) social functioning; (4) sexual functioning; and (5) healthcare experiences.ResultsSixteen patients with a follow-up period of between 0.6 and 4.4 years after surgery were included in this study. Participants reported several challenges experienced because of poor bowel function, a stoma, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, fear of recurrence and sexual dysfunction. However, they reported these as not interfering much with daily life.ConclusionColorectal cancer treatment leads to several challenges and treatment-related health deficits. This is often not recognized by generic patient-reported outcome measures, but the findings on treatment-related health deficits presented in this study contain valuable insights which might contribute to improving colorectal cancer care, shared decision making and value-based health care. Show less
This thesis aims to improve patient outcomes after major oncological gastrointestinal surgery, by identifying targets for optimizing perioperative care. On the one hand, identifying (adjustable)... Show moreThis thesis aims to improve patient outcomes after major oncological gastrointestinal surgery, by identifying targets for optimizing perioperative care. On the one hand, identifying (adjustable) prognostic factors for postoperative complications and then using them in prediction models, and gaining insight into the quality of life after surgery. Improving preoperative risk assessment and subsequent personalization of postoperative care can reduce the rate of postoperative complications and mortality. In addition, risk prediction can support clinical knowledge in making treatment decisions. Modifiable prognostic factors are particularly important to identify as they may be optimized prior to surgery. Modifiable prognostic factors can then be used in prehabilitation programs to improve a patient's physical condition and thus improve patient outcomes. In addition, information about treatment consequences and treatment-related health problems is important for treatment decision-making for patients and healthcare professionals. Especially, if several treatment options are available, knowledge about (long-term) consequences of the treatment options is important for shared decision-making. This knowledge can also contribute to optimizing postoperative care and rehabilitation programs. In conclusion, the leads described in this thesis for improving postoperative care can be used to improve short- and long-term patient outcomes after complex oncological gastrointestinal surgery. Show less
Background: Oncological sigmoid and rectal resections are accompanied with substantial risk of anastomotic leakage. Preoperative risk assessment and patient selection remain difficult, highlighting... Show moreBackground: Oncological sigmoid and rectal resections are accompanied with substantial risk of anastomotic leakage. Preoperative risk assessment and patient selection remain difficult, highlighting the importance of finding easy-to-use parameters. This study evaluates the prognostic value of contrast-enhanced (CE) computed tomography (CT)-based muscle measurements for predicting anastomotic leakage. Methods: Patients that underwent oncological sigmoid and rectal resections in the LUMC between 2016 and 2020 were included. Preoperative CE-CT scans, were analyzed using Vitrea software to measure total abdominal muscle area (TAMA) and total psoas area (TPA). Muscle areas were standardized using patient's height into: psoas muscle index (PMI) and skeletal muscle index (SMI) (cm(2)/m(2)). Results: In total 46 patients were included, of which 13 (8.9%) suffered from anastomotic leakage. Patients with anastomotic leakage had a significantly lower PMI (22.1 vs. 25.1, p < 0.01) and SMI (41.8 vs. 46.6, p < 0.01). After adjusting for confounders (age and comorbidity), lower PMI (odds ratio [OR]: 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71-0.99, p = 0.03) and SMI (OR: 0.93, 95%CI 0.86-0.99, p = 0.02) were both associated with anastomotic leakage. Conclusion: This study showed that lower PMI and SMI were associated with anastomotic leakage. These results indicate that preoperative CT-based muscle measurements can be used as prognostic factor for risk stratification for anastomotic leakage. Show less
This study focuses on the impact of complications after rectal cancer surgery on the short-and long-term Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL). The results show that. short-term HRQoL was affected... Show moreThis study focuses on the impact of complications after rectal cancer surgery on the short-and long-term Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL). The results show that. short-term HRQoL was affected by complications. Twelve months postoperative HRQoL had returned to the preoperative level regardless of complications. In patients that survived 14-years, there was no effect of complications on HRQoL detected.Background: Survival for rectal cancer patients has improved over the past decades. In parallel, long-term health -related quality of life (HRQoL) is gaining interest. This study focuses on the effect of complications following rectal cancer surgery on HRQoL and survival. Methods: The TME-trial (1996-1999) randomized patients with operable rectal cancer between surgery with preoperative short-course radiotherapy and surgery. Questionnaires including the Rotter-dam Symptom Checklist were sent at 6 time points within the first 24 months and after 14 years the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CR29 questionnaires. Differences in HRQoL and survival between patients with and without compli-cations were analyzed. Results: A total of 1207 patients were included, of which 482 (39.9%) patients experienced complications, surgical complications occurred in 177 (14.6%) patients, non-surgical complications in 197 (16.3%) and 108 patients (8.9%) had a combination of both types of complications. Three months after surgery, patients with a combination of surgical-and non-surgical complications, especially patients with anastomotic leakage, had the worst HRQoL. Twelve months postoperative HRQoL returned to a similar level as before surgery, regardless of complications. In patients who survived 14 years, no significant differences in HRQoL were seen between patients with and without complications. However, patients with complications did have lower overall survival. Conclusion: This study shows that survival and short-term HRQoL are negatively affected by complications. Twelve months after surgery HRQoL had returned to the preoperative level regardless, of complications. Also, in patients that survived 14 years, there was no effect of complications on HRQoL detected. Show less
Background Surgical resection is the mainstay of curative treatment for rectal cancer. Post-operative complications, low anterior resection syndrome (LARS), and the presence of a stoma may... Show moreBackground Surgical resection is the mainstay of curative treatment for rectal cancer. Post-operative complications, low anterior resection syndrome (LARS), and the presence of a stoma may influence the quality of life after surgery. This study aimed to gain more insights into the long-term trade-off between stoma and anastomosis. Methods All patients who underwent sphincter-sparing surgical resection for rectal cancer in the Leiden University Medical Center and the Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis between January 2012 and January 2016 were included. Patients received the following questionnaires: EORTC-QLQ-CR29, EORTC-QLQ-C30, EQ-5D-5L, and the LARS score. A comparison was made between patients with a stoma and without a stoma after follow-up. Results Some 210 patients were included of which 149 returned the questionnaires (70.9%), after a mean follow-up of 3.69 years. Overall quality of life was not significantly different in patients with and without stoma after follow-up using the EORTC-QLQ-C30 (p = 0.15) or EQ-5D-5L (p = 0.28). However, after multivariate analysis, a significant difference was found for the presence of a stoma on global health status (p = 0.01) and physical functioning (p < 0.01). Additionally, there was no difference detected in the quality of life between patients with major LARS or a stoma. Conclusion This study shows that after correction for possible confounders, a stoma is associated with lower global health status and physical functioning. However, no differences were found in health-related quality of life between patients with major LARS and patients with a stoma. This suggests that the choice between stoma and anastomosis is mainly preferential and that shared decision-making is required. Show less
Background and Objectives: With the current advanced data-driven approach to health care, machine learning is gaining more interest. The current study investigates the added value of machine... Show moreBackground and Objectives: With the current advanced data-driven approach to health care, machine learning is gaining more interest. The current study investigates the added value of machine learning to linear regression in predicting anastomotic leakage and pulmonary complications after upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Methods: All patients in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit undergoing curatively intended esophageal or gastric cancer surgeries from 2011 to 2017 were included. Anastomotic leakage was defined as any clinically or radiologically proven anastomotic leakage. Pulmonary complications entailed: pneumonia, pleural effusion, respiratory failure, pneumothorax, and/or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Different machine learning models were tested. Nomograms were constructed using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator. Results: Between 2011 and 2017, 4228 patients underwent surgical resection for esophageal cancer, of which 18% developed anastomotic leakage and 30% a pulmonary complication. Of the 2199 patients with surgical resection for gastric cancer, 7% developed anastomotic leakage and 15% a pulmonary complication. In all cases, linear regression had the highest predictive value with the area under the curves varying between 61.9 and 68.0, but the difference with machine learning models did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Machine learning models can predict postoperative complications in upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery, but they do not outperform the current gold standard, linear regression Show less
Patients undergoing complex gastrointestinal surgery are at high risk of major postoperative complications (e.g., anastomotic leakage, sepsis), classified as Clavien-Dindo (CD) >= IIIa.... Show morePatients undergoing complex gastrointestinal surgery are at high risk of major postoperative complications (e.g., anastomotic leakage, sepsis), classified as Clavien-Dindo (CD) >= IIIa. Identification of preoperative risk factors can lead to the identification of high-risk patients. These risk factors can also be used to design personalized perioperative care. This systematic review focuses on the identification of these factors. The Medline and Embase databases were searched for prospective, retrospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of risk factors on the occurrence of major postoperative complications and/or mortality after complex gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool. The level of evidence was graded based on the number of studies reporting a significant association between risk factors and major complications. A total of 207 eligible studies were retrieved, identifying 33 risk factors for major postoperative complications and 13 preoperative laboratory results associated with postoperative complications. The present systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of preoperative risk factors associated with major postoperative complications. A wide range of risk factors are amenable to actions in perioperative care and prehabilitation programs, which may lead to improved outcomes for high-risk patients. Additionally, the knowledge of this study is important for benchmarking surgical outcomes. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. Show less
Objective The aim of this study is to identify preoperative patient-related prognostic factors for anastomotic leakage, mortality, and major complications in patients undergoing oncological... Show moreObjective The aim of this study is to identify preoperative patient-related prognostic factors for anastomotic leakage, mortality, and major complications in patients undergoing oncological esophagectomy. Background Esophagectomy is a high-risk procedure with an incidence of major complications around 25% and short-term mortality around 4%. Methods We systematically searched the Medline and Embase databases for studies investigating the associations between patient-related prognostic factors and anastomotic leakage, major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo >= IIIa), and/or 30-day/in-hospital mortality after esophagectomy for cancer. Results Thirty-nine eligible studies identifying 37 prognostic factors were included. Cardiac comorbidity was associated with anastomotic leakage, major complications, and mortality. Male sex and diabetes were prognostic factors for anastomotic leakage and major complications. Additionally, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score > III and renal disease were associated with anastomotic leakage and mortality. Pulmonary comorbidity, vascular comorbidity, hypertension, and adenocarcinoma tumor histology were identified as prognostic factors for anastomotic leakage. Age > 70 years, habitual alcohol usage, and body mass index (BMI) 18.5-25 kg/m(2) were associated with increased risk for mortality. Conclusions Various patient-related prognostic factors are associated with anastomotic leakage, major postoperative complications, and postoperative mortality following oncological esophagectomy. This knowledge may define case-mix adjustment models used in benchmarking or auditing and may assist in selection of patients eligible for surgery or tailored perioperative care. Show less
