Early Postoperative Complications in Colorectal Cancer Patients Following Colorectal Surgery: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: This prospective study aimed to investigate the early outcomes of colorectal surgery in patients with colorectal cancer and determine their relationships with specific risk factors and comorbidities. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted at AL-Thawra Modern General Hospital and AL-Kuwait University Hospital in Sana'a, Yemen, from January 2021 to December 2022. All consecutive patients who underwent surgical intervention for colorectal cancer were included. Data on patient demographics, comorbidities, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and postoperative outcomes were collected. Statistical methods were used to analyze the risk factors associated with operative complications. Results: A total of 73 patients, with a mean age of 52.5 years (SD = 14.3), were included in the study. Among the patients, 44 (60.3%) were male, and 29 (39.7%) were female. The most frequent complication observed was surgical site infection, which occurred in 13 (17.8%) patients, primarily as superficial infections in 11 (15.1%) patients. Other local complications included wound dehiscence (4.1%), anastomotic leakage (2.7%), paralytic ileus (4.1%), and abdominal sepsis (2.7%). Additionally, systemic complications, including pneumonia (4.1%), deep vein thrombosis (4.1%), acute myocardial infarction (2.7%), and urinary tract infection (1.4%), were observed in 9 patients. Significant associations were found between the development of early postoperative complications and various factors. Patients aged 65 years and above had a greater rate of complications than did those aged younger than 65 years (55% vs. 22.6%, p value = 0.008). Furthermore, the presence of diabetes mellitus and low serum ALB levels (<35 g/L) were associated with increased complication rates (60% vs. 24.1%, p value = 0.01 and 42.9% vs. 8.3%, p value = 0.02, respectively). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated favorable outcomes with no mortality and a comparable complication rate to other studies, despite the smaller sample size. The significant associations between postoperative complications, advanced age, diabetes mellitus, and low serum ALB levels highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to enhancing overall patient outcomes.