Multivisceral resections for primary advanced rectal cancer

Fixation of the locally advanced rectal tumor at the time of operation is an important prognostic variable. It may be difficult to determine whether fixation is caused by inflammatory adhesions or by direct tumor extension tethering the tumor to the surrounding pelvic structures. Extended en bloc removal of the locally advanced rectal cancer with involved adjacent organ(s) increases the resectability rate. We examined the perioperative mortality and morbidity and the prognosis of patients undergoing multivisceral resections for advanced primary rectal cancers. Of 83 patients with rectal cancers 20 (24%) had locally advanced tumors. Cases were divided into Gunderson-Sosin stages B₃ and C₃ and were further stratified into those with histologically confirmed carcinomatous invasion of the adjacent organ and those with inflammatory adhesions. Perioperative mortality was 5%. Only five patients (24%) showed histopathological confirmation of carcinomatous adhesion into adjacent organ(s)/structure(s). Histological confirmation of contiguous tumor spread was higher in C₃ patients. There was no significant difference between patients with positive and negative histopathological confirmation of malignant spread in terms of survival rates. Multivisceral resections can be performed safely for locally advanced rectal cancers with acceptable mortality and morbidity rates. The presence of local tumor extension does not mean incurability, and sound surgical judgement should dictate that in the face of a tethered lesion one must extend the surgical intervention radically to resect any tumor en bloc. Accepted: 13 October 1999