Complications after preoperative intraluminal radiotherapy and radical surgery for rectal carcinoma: A review of 100 cases

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the complications that may develop after preoperative intraluminal brachytherapy (IBT) and radical surgery for rectal carcinoma. A total of 106 rectal carcinoma patients who were given moderate (16–40 Gy) or high (40–80 Gy) doses of IBT between 1986 and 1995 were followed up and recorded in our outpatient clinic. Postoperative complications developed in 34 of 87 patients in the moderate-dose group and 13 of 19 patients in the high-dose group, 7 of whom in the former groups and 5 in the latter group required surgical intervention for their complication. The other patients were treated conservatively. Statistical analysis identified the factors related to the incidence of complications to be: the IBT dose, the field length, the timedose factor (TDF), and the distance from above the anal verge to the distal border of the tumor. The incidence and severity of complications suggested that moderate-dose IBT was better than high-dose IBT preoperatively, especially when restorative operations were scheduled.