Analysis of the Prognostic Effectiveness of a Multivisceral Resection for Locally Advanced Colorectal Cancer

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic effectiveness of multivisceral resections of organs involved by locally advanced colorectal cancer. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed to analyze the data collected for 266 patients who underwent a curative resection for pT3-pT4 colorectal cancer without distant metastasis from January 2000 to December 2007. Of these 266 patients, 54 patients had macroscopically direct invasion of adjacent organs and underwent a multivisceral resection. We evaluated the short-term and the long-term outcomes of a multiviceral resection relative to that of standard surgery. RESULTS: The most common location for the primary lesion was the rectum, followed by the right colon and the sigmoid colon. Among the combined resected organs, common organs were the small bowel, ovary, and bladder. In the multivisceral resection group, tumor infiltration was confirmed histologically in 44.4% of the cases while in the remaining patients, a peritumorous adhesion had mimicked tumor invasion. Postoperative complications occurred in 17.5% of the patients who underwent standard surgery vs. 35.2% of those who underwent a multivisceral resection (P < 0.0001). But the survival rate of patients after a multivisceral resection was similar to that of patients after standard surgery (5-year survival rates: 61% vs. 58%; P = 0.36). CONCLUSION: For locally advanced colorectal cancer, multivisceral resection was associated with higher postoperative morbidity, but the long-term survival after a curative resection is similar to that after a standard resection. Thus, a multivisceral resection can be recommended for most patients of locally advanced colorectal cancer.