Factors affecting successful palliative surgery for malignant bowel obstruction due to peritoneal dissemination from...

Nonresectable colorectal cancer often causes malignant intestinal obstruction due to peritoneal dissemination. However, no previous report has specifically investigated which patients, with peritoneal dissemination from colorectal cancer, would actually benefit from palliative surgery. This study defines the selection criteria for patients who are likely to benefit from palliative surgery.

Twenty-one patients underwent palliative surgery for malignant bowel obstruction due to peritoneal dissemination from colorectal cancer. In all cases, the advanced and nonresectable nature of the tumor was confirmed at laparotomy. Clinical factors such as age, gender, serum level of carcinoembryonic antigen, amount of ascites, location of the primary cancer, surgical procedure, and postoperative chemotherapy were analyzed for prognostic significance in symptom-free and overall survival using the Kaplan-Meier product limit method and the log-rank test.

All the postoperative courses were uneventful. Obstruction recurred after a median symptom-free interval of 61 days in the group with less than 100 ml of ascites, whereas it recurred after 9 days in the group with more than 100 ml of ascites. Symptom-free survival rates in patients who manifested ascites were significantly lower than in those without ascites (P = 0.0321, log-rank method). The symptom-free and overall survival rates in patients who underwent postoperative chemotherapy were significantly higher (P = 0.0225 and 0.0003).

Palliative surgery can be performed effectively for patients without ascites. For patients who do not meet this criterion, a non-surgical procedure may be preferable.