Indications and practice of diverting ileostomy after colorectal resection and anastomosis in ovarian cancer cytoreduction

A restrictive stoma policy after colorectal anastomosis in ovarian cancer based on ghost ileostomy use

BACKGROUND

The incidence of anastomotic leak after colorectal anastomosis in ovarian cancer has been reported to be much lower than that in colorectal cancer patients. Regarding the use of protective manoeuvres (diverting ileostomy) as suggested by clinical guidelines, the goal should be the implementation of a restrictive stoma policy for ovarian cancer patients, given the low rate of anastomotic leakage in this population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients who underwent cytoreduction surgery in a single centre (University Hospital La Fe, Valencia Spain) due to ovarian cancer between January 2010 and June 2023 were classified according to two groups: a non-restrictive stoma policy group (Group A) and a restrictive stoma policy group (Group B).

RESULTS

A total of 256 patients were included in the analysis (group A 52 % vs group B 48 %). The use of protective diverting ileostomy was lower in the restrictive stoma policy group (14 % vs 6.6 %), and the use of ghost ileostomy was 32 % vs 87 % in groups A and B, respectively (p < 0.00001). No differences were found in the anastomotic leak rate, which was 5.2 % in the non-restrictive group and 3.2 % in the restrictive stoma policy group (p = 0.54).

CONCLUSION

The use of a restrictive stoma policy based on the use of ghost ileostomy reduces the rate of diverting ileostomy in patients with ovarian cancer after colorectal resection and anastomosis. Furthermore, this policy is not associated with an increased rate of anastomotic leakage nor with an increased rate of morbi-mortality related to the leak.

Survival and chance of reversal after intestinal stoma formation during cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer; a population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to examine oncologic outcome in women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (aEOC) receiving an intestinal stoma (IS) at the time of cytoreductive surgery (CRS), probability of stoma reversal (SR) and variables affecting odds of SR.

METHODS

This population-based cohort study included all women diagnosed with aEOC between 2009 and 2018 in the Stockholm/Gotland Region of Sweden. The association between IS formation at CRS and survival was analyzed with proportional hazards regression yielding hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for predefined confounders. Cumulative incidence functions, with death or recurrence as competing risk, were used to estimate chance of SR. The association between clinical factors and SR was analyzed with logistic regression yielding odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 888 women undergoing CRS for aEOC. Of these, 129 (14,5%) received an IS of which 74% (n = 95) were defunctioning and 26% (n = 34) permanent. IS was associated with an increased hazard of death (HR 1.30, CI 95%, 1.05-1.61; p = 0.02) in the univariate analysis, however not in the adjusted analysis. The probability of SR of defunctioning IS within 2 years was 48% (95% CI, 38-58). Median time to SR was 10 months. High surgical complexity score (SCS) was associated with increased odds of reversal (OR 3.43, 95% CI, 1.06-11.05; p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

IS formation does not seem to affect prognosis in women with aEOC. We could not identify any factor, known at time of CRS, that may predict the odds of SR except a high SCS.

Application and evaluation of transitory protective stoma in ovarian cancer surgery

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of all female reproductive cancers. The fatality rate of OC is the highest among gynecological malignant tumors, and cytoreductive surgery is a common surgical procedure for patients with advanced ovarian cancer. To achieve satisfactory tumor reduction, intraoperative bowel surgery is often involved. Intestinal anastomosis is the traditional way to restore intestinal continuity, but the higher rate of postoperative complications still cannot be ignored. Transitory protective stoma can reduce the severity of postoperative complications and traumatic stress reaction and provide the opportunity for conservative treatment. But there are also many problems, such as stoma-related complications and the impact on social psychology. Therefore, it is essential to select appropriate patients according to the indications for the transitory protective stoma, and a customized postoperative care plan is needed specifically for the stoma population.

OVA-LEAK: Prognostic score for colo-rectal anastomotic leakage in patients undergoing ovarian cancer surgery

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the present study was to define and validate an anastomotic leak prognostic score based on previously described and reported anastomotic leak risk factors (OVA-LEAK: https://n9.cl/ova-leakscore) and to establish if the use of OVA-LEAK score is better than clinical criteria (surgeon's choice) selecting anastomosis to be protected with a diverting ileostomy.

MATERIAL & METHODS

This is a retrospective, multicentre cohort study that included patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery for primary advanced or relapsed ovarian cancer with colorectal resection and anastomosis between January 2011 and June 2021. Data from patients already included in the previous predictive model were not considered in the present analysis. To validate the performance of our logistic regression model, we used the OVA-LEAK formula (Annex I: https://n9.cl/ova-leakscore) for estimating leakage probabilities in a new independent cohort. Then, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed and area under the curve (AUC) was used to measure the performance of the model. Additionally, the Brier score was also estimated. 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each of the estimated performance measures were also calculated.

RESULTS

848 out of 1159 recruited patients were finally included in the multivariable logistic regression model validation. The AUC of the new cohort was 0.63 for predicting anastomotic leak. Considering a cut-off point of 22.1% to be 'positive' (to get a leak) this would provide a sensitivity of 0.45, specificity of 0.80, positive predictive value of 0.09 and negative predictive value of 0.97 for anastomotic leak. If we consider this cut-off point to select patients at risk of leak for bowel diversion, up to 22.5% of the sampled patients would undergo a diverting ileostomy and 47% (18/40) of the anastomotic leaks would be 'protected' with the stoma. Nevertheless, if we consider only the 'clinical criteria' for performing or not a diverting ileostomy, only 12.5% (5/40) of the leaks would be 'protected' with a stoma, with a rate of diverting ileostomy of up to 24.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with subjective clinical criteria, the use of a predictive model for anastomotic leak improves the selection of patients who would benefit from a diverting ileostomy without increasing the rate of stoma use.

Postoperative paralytic ileus following debulking surgery in ovarian cancer patients

Aim

This study aims to evaluate the incidence of postoperative ileus (POI) following cytoreductive surgery in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients and its impact on anastomotic leakage occurrence and postoperative complications.

Methods

A total of 357 surgeries were performed on 346 ovarian cancer patients between 1/2010 and 12/2020 at our institution. The postoperative course regarding paralytic ileus, anastomotic leakage, and postoperative complications was analyzed by Fisher's exact test and through ordinal logistic regression.

Results

A total of 233 patients (65.3%) returned to normal gastrointestinal functions within 3 days after surgery. A total of 123 patients (34.5%) developed POI. There were 199 anastomoses in 165 patients and 24 leakages (12.1%). Postoperative antibiotics (p 0.001), stoma creation (p 0.0001), and early start of laxatives (p 0.0048) significantly decreased POI, while anastomoses in general (p 0.0465) and especially low anastomoses (p 0.0143) showed increased POI rates. Intraoperative positive fluid excess >5,000 cc was associated with a higher risk for POI (p 0.0063), anastomotic leakage (p 0.0254), and severe complications (p 0.0012).

Conclusion

Postoperative antibiotics, an early start with laxatives, and stoma creation were associated with reduced POI rates. Patients with anastomoses showed an increased risk for POI. Severe complications, anastomotic leakages, and POI were more common in the case of intraoperative fluid balance exceeding 5,000 cc.

Ostomy Does Not Lead to Worse Outcomes After Bowel Resection With Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review

Background

Debulking cytoreduction surgery with bowel resection is a common intervention for ovarian cancer. It is controversial whether ostomy causes worse survival outcomes and how clinical physicians should choose which patients to undergo ostomy. During this study, we performed a systematic review to determine whether ostomy leads to worse outcomes after bowel resection compared to anastomosis. We also summarized the possible indications for ostomy.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for articles containing the phrase "ovarian cancer with bowel resection" that were published between 2016 and 2021. We included studies that compared primary anastomosis with ostomy. We mainly focused on differences in the anastomotic leakage rate, length of hospital stay, overall survival, and other survival outcomes associated with the two procedures.

Results and Conclusion

Of the 763 studies, three were ultimately included in the systematic review (N=1411). We found that ostomy did not contribute to worse survival outcomes, and that the stoma-related complications were acceptable. Indications for ostomy require further study. Bowel resection segment margins and the distance from the anastomosis to the anal verge require consideration.

Protective ostomies in ovarian cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To assess the benefit of protective ostomies on anastomotic leak rate, urgent re-operations, and mortality due to anastomotic leak complications in ovarian cancer surgery.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in MEDLINE, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for all studies on anastomotic leak and ostomy formation related to ovarian cancer surgery. Non-controlled studies, case series, abstracts, case reports, study protocols, and letters to the editor were excluded. Meta-analysis was performed on the primary endpoint of anastomotic leak rate. Subgroup analysis was carried out based on type of bowel resection and bevacizumab use. Secondary endpoints were urgent re-operations and mortality associated with anastomotic leak, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, 30-day readmission rate, adjuvant chemotherapy, survival, and reversal surgery in ostomy and non-ostomy patients.

Results

A total of 17 studies (2,719 patients) were included: 16 retrospective cohort studies, and 1 case-control study. Meta-analysis of 17 studies did not show a decrease in anastomotic leak rate in ostomy patients (odds ratio [OR]=1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.60–1.70; p=0.980). Meta-analysis of ten studies (1,452 women) did not find a decrease in urgent re-operations in the ostomy group (OR=0.72; 95% CI=0.35–1.46; p=0.360). Other outcomes were not considered for meta-analysis due to the lack of data in included studies.

Conclusion

Protective ostomies did not decrease anastomotic leak rates, and urgent re-operations in ovarian cancer surgery. This evidence supports the use of ostomies in very select cases.