An unusual case of proctalgia: kerosene rectal injury

Kerosene has been described as an uncommon burn injury agent(1). We report a case of a 47-year-old male who presented to the Emergency Department with proctalgia after self-administration of an unknown enema in the context of cocaine intoxication. Physical examination revealed severe perianal inflammation (Figure 1.A) without suppuration and computerized tomography (CT) scan showed free air in mesorectum and retroperitoneum without intraperitoneal free air or fluid (Figure 1.B and 1.C). Rigid rectoscopy demostrated erythematous rectal mucosa without perforation. Subsequently, perineal drainage and debridement were performed. On the fifth postoperative day, the patient reported worsening proctalgia. Examination under anesthesia revealed the presence of new-onsetanal ulcers (Figure 1.D), rigid rectoscopy identified deep ulcers limited to the rectal mucosa and colonoscopy ruled out colon involvement. During reevaluation, the patient disclosed the use of sailboat engine lubrican as the enema, with kerosene being one of its components. These findings were consistent with rectal burn injuries resulting from exposure to kerosene. A laparoscopic end-loop colostomy was performed without any postoperative complications. Follow-up examinations with rigid rectoscopy showed improvement of rectal ulcers (Figure 1.E and 1.F). To our knowledge, this is the first case of rectal burn injuries after kerosene exposure(2,3). Aggressive washout, early colostomy and serial follow-up scopes are key components in the management of these rare injuries.

"Long-term oncologic outcomes and risk factors for distant recurrence after pathologic complete response following neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer. A nationwide, multicentre study"

BACKGROUND

Pathologic complete response (pCR) after multimodal treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) is used as surrogate marker of success as it is assumed to correlate with improved oncologic outcome. However, long-term oncologic data are scarce.

METHODS

This retrospective, multicentre study updated the oncologic follow-up of prospectively collected data from the Spanish Rectal Cancer Project database. pCR was described as no evidence of tumour cells in the specimen. Endpoints were distant metastases-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS). Multivariate regression analyses were run to identify factors associated with survival.

RESULTS

Overall, 32 different hospitals were involved, providing data on 815 patients with pCR. At a median follow-up of 73.4 (IQR 57.7-99.5) months, distant metastases occurred in 6.4% of patients. Abdominoperineal excision (APE) (HR 2.2, 95%CI 1.2-4.1, p = 0.008) and elevated CEA levels (HR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.0-3.7, p = 0.049) were independent risk factors for distant recurrence. Age (years) (HR 1.1; 95%-CI 1.05-41.09; p < 0.001) and ASA III-IV (HR = 2.0; 95%-CI 1.4-2.9; p < 0.001), were the only factors associated with OS. The estimated 12, 36 and 60-months DMFS rates were 96.9%, 91.3%, and 86.8%. The estimated 12, 36 and 60-months OS rates were 99.1%, 94.9% and 89.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of metachronous distant metastases is low after pCR, with high rates of both DMFS and OS. The oncologic prognosis in LARC patients that achieve pCR after neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy is excellent in the long term.