OBJECTIVETo investigate cachexia in hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer and evaluate its impact on clinical outcomes.

METHODSBy analyzing the clinical data of 5118 hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer in Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University from January 2012 to December 2013, cachexia was investigated and clinical outcomes between cachexia patients and non-cachexia patients was compared.

RESULTSThe total cachexia rate of hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer was 15.7%(803/5118). The highest rate of cachexia was 34.0%(89/262) in patients with pancreatic cancer followed by gastric cancer 22.4%(261/1164), colon cancer 21.7%(146/672), and rectal cancer 20.1%(117/581). In cachexia group and non-cachexia group, the overall completion rate of radical resection was 67.1%(539/803) and 74.5%(3214/4315) respectively(P<0.05). Compared to the non-cachexia group, the cachexia group was associated with longer postoperative hospital stay [(11.5±6.2) d vs. (9.4±4.9) d, P<0.05], slower postoperative recovery of bowel function [(3.4±0.9) d vs. (3.2±0.8) d, P<0.05], longer postoperative time to intake of semifluid [(4.4±1.5) d vs. (3.9±1.1) d, P<0.05], and more postoperative complications within 28 days after radical surgery [8.9%(48/539) vs. 5.8%(186/3214), P<0.05]. After radical surgery, the ICU admission rate of the cachexia group [24.3%(131/539)] was higher than that of the non-cachexia group [20.1%(646/3214)] with significant difference(P<0.05). Compared to non-cachexia group, the reoperation rate [3.2%(17/539) vs. 1.5%(48/3214), P<0.05], ventilator support rate [8.0%(43/539)vs. 5.7%(184/3214), P<0.05] and mortality [2.4%(13/539) vs. 1.1%(35/3214), P<0.05] in the cachexia group were all significantly higher(all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCachexia is commen in patients with digestive system cancer. Cachexia has significant adverse effects on clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer.

Cachexia ; etiology ; Colonic Neoplasms ; complications ; Defecation ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Rectal Neoplasms ; complications ; Reoperation ; Stomach Neoplasms ; complications

Colon cancer is the most serious intestinal complication in patients with Crohn's disease. Although an association between Crohn's disease and colon cancer has not been clearly defined, a number of studies in western countries reported an increased rate of colon cancer in patients with Crohn's disease. In Korea, Crohn's disease is rare when compared to western countries, and only a single case of colon cancer associated with Crohn's disease has been reported. We recently experienced a 66-year-old women with colon cancer associated with Crohn's disease.
Aged ; Colonic Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis ; Crohn Disease/*complications ; Female ; Humans

Although adenocarcinoma is a well known complication of chronic inflammatory bowel disease, primary gastrointestinal lymphoma occurring in Crohn's disease is rare. A 40-year-old man with 10 year-history of Crohn's disease had multiple longitudinal ulcerative lesions on descending colon in follow-up colonoscopic examination. Microscopic examination of proximal descending colon revealed peripheral T cell lymphoma and other site of the descending colon was consistent with Crohn's disease. The patient reached complete remission of malignant lymphoma after three cycles of combined chemotherapy. He has been well for 10 months with sulfasalazine maintenance therapy but was admitted to the hospital due to spontaneous bowel perforation of ascending colon. Right hemicolectomy was done, but the patient died of post-surgical recurrent mesenteric abscess and sepsis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma complicating Crohn's disease in Korea which was confirmed by immunohistochemical studies.
Adult ; Colonic Neoplasms/*complications/pathology ; Crohn Disease/*complications ; Humans ; Lymphoma, T-Cell/*complications/pathology ; Male

Spontaneous rupture of colon cancer, combined with psoas abscess formation, is rare. A 44-year-old male visited for back pain and left buttock mass. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance image revealed a large abscess in the left psoas muscle and in the left lower quadrant area. Ten days after incision and drainage, a skin defect around the left anterior superior iliac spine remained. A local flap was performed using a superficial skin graft. Ten days after the stitches had been removed, fecal discharge was observed around the anterior superior iliac spine at the flap site. An operation was performed by a general surgeon who had diagnosed this as a case of enterocutaneous fistula. Operative findings included a ruptured tumor mass in the descending colon, which was connected to a retroperitoneal abscess. Pathologic report findings determined adenocarcinoma of the resected colon. Herein, we report a case of psoas abscess resulting from perforating colon cancer.
Adult ; Colonic Neoplasms/*complications ; Humans ; Male ; Psoas Abscess/*etiology ; Rupture, Spontaneous/complications ; Streptococcal Infections/*etiology

No abstract available
Colonic Neoplasms/complications/*pathology ; Colonic Polyps/complications/*pathology/surgery ; *Colonoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*etiology ; Hemangioma, Cavernous/complications/*pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

The correlation between chronic constipation and colorectal neoplasms has been arousing wide interest. There have been a number of domestic and international epidemiological and clinical researches focusing on this issue. Based on these researches, the correlation between constipation and colorectal neoplasms was studied from three aspects: constipation and colorectal polyps; constipation and colorectal cancer; melanosis coli (MC), laxatives and colorectal neoplasms. We find that constipation can significantly increase the incidence of colorectal polyps and constipation does not significantly increase the incidence of colorectal cancer but is one of the risk factors for colorectal cancer. In addition, MC, laxatives and the incidence of colorectal polyps are also closely correlated. Given the fact that colorectal polyps are precancerous lesions, patients with long-term constipation should take less anthraquinone laxatives, and those with colorectal polyps should be followed up periodically.
Anthraquinones ; adverse effects ; Colonic Diseases ; complications ; Colonic Polyps ; epidemiology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Constipation ; complications ; Humans ; Incidence ; Laxatives ; adverse effects ; Melanosis ; complications ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors

A 50-year-old Chinese man presented with abdominal pain associated with bloody mucoid stools, loss of appetite and weight loss. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a colocolic intussusception secondary to a lipoma. The patient subsequently underwent a left hemicolectomy. Clinical and imaging findings of intussusception in adults are discussed in this article.
Colectomy ; Colonic Diseases ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery ; Colonic Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Intussusception ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery ; Lipoma ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Singapore

PURPOSE: Although the cancer of the right side colon is usually managed by primary anastomosis following resection, but the optimal management of obstructing left side colon cancer is controversial. So, we performed this study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of subtotal or total colectomy as a method of one-stage operation in malignant obstruction of left side colon. METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively 35 patients with obstructing left side colon cancer among 74 cases of obstructing colorectal carcinoma who were treated surgically at the Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital from January 1989 to December 1998. RESULTS: One-stage operation was performed in 16 patients (subtotal colectomy in 13, total colectomy in 3). Staged operation was performed in 15 patients (two-stage operation in 10, three-stage operation in 5). Palliative colostomy was performed in 4 patients. Postoperative complications had been developed in 6 patients (37.5%) with subtotal or total colectomy group and in 7 patients (46.7%) with staged operation group. The postoperative frequent bowel movement was shown in 13 patients (81.2%) with subtotal or total colectomy group and in 7 patients (70.0%) with staged operation group. Frequent bowel movement was improved with antidiarrheal medications within 3 months. Operative mortality was 6.3% (1 patient) in subtotal or total colectomy group and 13.3% (2 patients) in staged operation group. There was no significant difference in morbidity and mortality statistically between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that subtotal or total colectomy as a method of one-stage operation can be performed with acceptable morbidity and mortality in selected patients with obstructing left side colon cancer.
Colectomy* ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Colostomy ; Humans ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Protestantism ; Retrospective Studies

Although the obstruction of the right colon is usually handled by primary anastomosis following resection, fear of the increased incidence of septic complication, especially anastomotic leakage with sepsis has turned surgeons away from doing anastomosis in the face of acute obstruction of the left colon. However, from recent reports, enough experiences have been accumulated to show that primary anastomosis is associated with minimum morbidity and mortality in the acute obstruction of the left colon. We experienced 54 cases of colon cancer obstruction at Holy Family Hospital from January 1988 to December 1997. Twenty six cases of them were right colon cancers, 24 cases were left colon cancers and 4 cases were rectal cancers. We reviewed these three groups for evaluation of the safety of one-stage resection and anastomosis of left colon cancer obstruction. The postoperative complication rate was 18% in right colon obstruction versus 38% in left colon obstruction. The most common complication was wound infection(43%). In using of primary resection and anastomosis, complication of right colon revealed 15% and left colon was 29%. But in a method of primary resection and anastomosis with decompression, complication of right colon was 17% and left colon was 13%. Especially on the left colon, primary resection and anastomosis with decompression revealed lower complication(13%) than that without decompression(67%). The mortality of colon cancer obstruction was 2% but this was a patient who had a poor general condition and took a primary resection and anastomosis without decompression. In cases of left colon cancer obstruction primary resection and anastomosis with decompression of left colon cancer obstruction can be a safe operation method with low morbidity and mortality.
Anastomotic Leak ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Decompression ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Sepsis ; Wounds and Injuries

Aged ; Colonic Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; Diaphragm ; pathology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; pathology