title: Role of laparoscopy in the initial multimodality management of patients with near-obstructing rectal cancer.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of diagnostic laparoscopy in the multimodality management of locally advanced, near-obstructing rectal cancer. Fourteen patients with near-obstructing adenocarcinoma of the rectum (8 men and 6 women; mean age 49 years) underwent staging laparoscopy and formation of a sigmoid loop colostomy (n = 7), transverse colostomy (n = 4), or ileostomy (n = 3). The mean operative time was 78 minutes (range 67 to 94 minutes). All patients began a regular diet on postoperative day 1 and the median time to discharge was 4 days (range 2 to 8 days). Four patients were found to have diffuse peritoneal carcinomatosis not defined on preoperative CT scan. These patients died of disease within 6 months. Ten patients with advanced, localized pelvic disease began preoperative combined-modality treatment (5040 cGy external-beam radiation therapy in conjunction with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin) between 8 and 13 days (median 9 days) following laparoscopy, and all underwent successful resection with clear margins in a median time of 12 weeks following laparoscopy. In the initial management of patients with near-obstructing advanced rectal cancer, laparoscopy can be both therapeutic and diagnostic by clarifying the site of the primary tumor, identifying patients with unsuspected peritoneal disease, and facilitating the formation of a defunctioning stoma with minimal morbidity. This leads to the early commencement of preoperative combined-modality treatment and does not compromise the prospects of subsequent tumor resection.
authors.affiliation: Colorectal Service and the Gastric and Mixed Tumor Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Koea
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Guillem
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Conlon
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Minsky
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saltz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D003125:Colostomy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007081:Ileostomy; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D013997:Time Factors