Total excision or restorative resection for carcinoma of the middle third of the rectum

Abstract

Summary Restorative resection is being used increasingly for carcinoma of the mid rectum but it is not yet certain whether this operation is as curative as total excision. Between 1963 and 1972, 209 patients left St Mark's Hospital after a radical operation for a single rectal carcinoma situated between 8 and 12 cm from the anal verge. A total of 199 patients was followed up for 5 years. Of these, 112 had been treated by total excision of the rectum and 87 by restorative operation. Survival was correlated with the Dukes' stage, histological grade and extent of local spread in the two groups. There was no significant difference in 5-year survival after either total excision or restorative resection for Dukes' B (74 per cent, 71 per cent respectively) or average grade (61 per cent, 73 per cent respectively) tumours. Patients with Dukes' C tumours fared better when treated by restorative resection (36 per cent, 63 per cent), probably due to fewer high grade tumours in the restorative group (38 per cent, 18 per cent). Combining two variables, survival was not significantly different for patients with Dukes' B tumours of average grade (69 per cent, 62 per cent) or for Dukes' C tumours of average grade (48 per cent, 76 per cent). When the three pathological variables were combined, there was an improved survival after restorative resection for some pathological combinations. It is concluded that restorative resection for carcinoma of the mid rectum is as curative as total excision in terms of 5-year survival.