Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Endoscopic Vacuum Therapy for the Treatment of Anastomotic Leakage after Total Gastrectomy with Esophagojejunostomy
Published on: August 22, 2025
Anastomotic leakage after curative anterior resection for rectal cancer: short and long-term outcome
C A Bertelsen1, A H Andreasen, T Jørgensen
1Department of Surgery K, Bispebjerg University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. cabertelsen@gmail.com
Objective:
The influence of symptomatic anastomotic leakage (AL) after anterior resection (AR) for rectal cancer on short and long-term mortality and local and distant recurrence was analysed.
Method:
All patients with a first diagnosis of rectal carcinoma were prospectively registered in a national database. This comprised 1494 Danish citizens who had had a curative AR between May 2001 and December 2004. Data on survival and recurrence were obtained from the National Patient Register. Multivariate analyses were performed.
Results:
Anastomotic leakage increased the 30-day mortality [odds ratio (OR) 4.01 (95% CI 2.24-7.17)]. Of other possible risk factors, only age had a significant interaction with leakage, as the risk of death within 30 days of AR decreased with increasing age. Long-term survival decreased significantly after AL [hazard ratio (HR) of 1.63, CI 1.21-2.19]. A total of 97 (6.7%) and 258 (18.0%) patients had local and distant recurrence respectively in the follow-up period. The risk of local and distant recurrence after AL was not different with HR of 1.50 (CI 0.84-2.69) and 1.13 (CI 0.76-1.69) respectively. No other factors influenced the risk of recurrence due to AL.
Conclusion:
Anastomotic leakage after AR for rectal cancer increases the 30-day and long-term mortality, but AL did not increase the risk of local and distant recurrence.
