Outcomes of Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction After Oncologic Resection: 14-Year Experience at an NCI-Designated Cancer Center.

Abstract

Outcomes studies for abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) in the setting of previous oncologic extirpation are lacking. We sought to evaluate long-term outcomes of AWR using acellular dermal matrix (ADM) after extirpative resection, compare them to primary herniorrhaphy, and report the rates and predictors of postoperative complications. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent AWR after oncologic resection from March 2005 to June 2019 at a tertiary cancer center. The primary outcome was hernia recurrence (HR). Secondary outcomes included surgical site occurrences (SSOs), surgical site infection (SSIs), length of hospital stay (LOS), reoperation, and 30-day readmission. Of 720 consecutive patients who underwent AWR during the study period, 194 (26.9%) underwent AWR following resection of abdominal wall tumors. In adjusted analyses, patients who had AWR after extirpative resection were more likely to have longer LOS (β, 2.57; 95%CI, 1.27 to 3.86, p < 0.001) than those with primary herniorrhaphy, but the risk of HR, SSO, SSI, 30-day readmission, and reoperation did not differ significantly. In the extirpative cohort, obesity (Hazard ratio, 6.48; p = 0.003), and bridged repair (Hazard ratio, 3.50; p = 0.004) were predictors of HR. Radiotherapy (OR, 2.23; p = 0.017) and diabetes mellites (OR, 3.70; p = 0.005) were predictors of SSOs. Defect width (OR, 2.30; p < 0.001) and mesh length (OR, 3.32; p = 0.046) were predictors of SSIs. Concomitant intra-abdominal surgery for active disease was not associated with worse outcomes. AWR with ADM following extirpative resection demonstrated outcomes comparable with primary herniorrhaphy. Preoperative risk assessment and optimization are imperative for improving outcomes.