Evolution in the Management of Left-Sided Obstructive Colon Cancer in the Netherlands During a 9-Year Period

There is growing evidence that bridge to surgery with stent or decompressing stoma for left-sided obstructive colon cancer (LSOCC) is better than emergency resection (ER), especially in elderly patients (age ≥70 years). This was already incorporated in Dutch guideline recommendations in 2014. The aim of this study was to evaluate time trends and interhospital variability in treatment approaches for LSOCC, and to compare short-term outcomes between approaches.

Data of patients undergoing resection for LSOCC between 2012 and 2020 were extracted from the Dutch ColoRectal Audit.

A total of 4,535 patients were included (3,155 ER, 573 semielective resection [SER], 807 resection after stent or stoma [RSS]). A decrease in ER over time was observed (79.7% in 2012-2014, 68.8% in 2015-2017, and 54.7% in 2018-2020) in favor of RSS (9.2%, 17.9%, and 31.2%, respectively). Compared with SER and RSS, ER was associated with higher 30-day mortality (6.2% ER, 2.8% SER, and 1.0% RSS; P<.001) and complication rates (45.4%, 31.2%, 31.5%, respectively; P<.001). There were still 19 hospitals with >75% ER in 2018-2020. For hospitals with >75% ER, mortality was significantly higher compared with hospitals mainly performing SER and RSS (5.6% vs 4.2%; P=.038). The proportion of ER in patients (age ≥70 years) decreased from 80.7% in 2012-2014 to 54.3% in 2018-2020 (P<.001). Mortality in patients aged ≥70 years was significantly lower after RSS than after ER (1.6% vs 9.5%; P<.001).

A significant decrease in ER for LSOCC at a national level was observed, although with a variable degree of adherence to revised guidelines among hospitals. The high risk of mortality after ER, especially in elderly patients, strongly supports the guideline recommendations to perform bridge to surgery in these patients.