PurposeThis study compared the oncologic impact of postoperative chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy on patients with rectal cancer without preoperative chemoradiation.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed 713 patients with a mean follow-up of 58 months who had undergone radical resection for stage II/III rectal cancer without preoperative treatment in nine hospitals from January 2004 to December 2009. The study population was categorized a chemotherapy group (CG, n = 460) and a chemoradiotherapy group (CRG, n = 253). Five-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed, and independent factors predicting survival were identified.ResultsThe patients in the CRG were significantly younger (P < 0.001) and had greater incidences of low rectal cancer (P < 0.001) and stage III disease (P < 0.001). Five-year OS (P = 0.024) and DFS (P = 0.012) were significantly higher in the CG for stage II disease; however, they were not significantly different for stage III disease. In the multivariate analysis, independent predictive factors were male sex, low rectal cancer and stage III disease for OS and male sex, abdominoperineal resection, stage III disease and tumor-positive circumferential margin for DFS. However, adjuvant therapy type did not independently affect OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.243; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.794–1.945; P = 0.341) and DFS (HR, 1.091; 95% CI, 0.810–1.470; P = 0.566).ConclusionAdjuvant therapy type did not affect survival of stage II/III rectal cancer patients without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. These results suggest that adjuvant therapy can be chosen based on the patient’s condition and the policies of the surgeons and hospital facilities.

The aim of this study is to review our experience in treating indirect inguinal hernia in pediatric patients. Methods:We retrospectively studied a total of 43 patients who underwent percutaneous internal ring suturing (PIRS) for indirect inguinal hernia from January 2016 to September 2018. The participants included 29 boys and 14 girls. There were cases of bilateral internal inguinal hernia (n=12), right indirect inguinal hernia (n=16), and left indirect inguinal hernia (n=15). Their mean age was 3.8±2.9 years, and mean body weight was 16 kg. Clinical features and surgical outcomes were analyzed.Results: Mean operating time was 35 min for unilateral inguinal hernia and 40 min for bilateral inguinal hernia. There were five cases of intraoperative bleeding (12%) during needle insertion. In two cases, stress test resulted in escape of gas into the hernial sac and a second suture was inserted. The contralateral patent processus vaginalis was present in six (14% of cases) and closed. Follow-up was 6~30 months. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 1.2 days. No recurrence hernia and postoperative complications were reported. Conclusion:Although this study investigated a small number of cases and the surgical experience was rather limited, the PIRS technique was shown to have advantages such as a short learning curve and its aid in detecting contralateral hernias. In this study, there were no reports of recurrence, metachronous inguinal hernias, and postoperative complications.

We experienced a case of 1 patient who died from rhabdomyolysis-related complications after colonoscopy. A 60-year-old man had undergone an ‘uncomplicated’ colonoscopic polypectomy. Approximately 10 hours following this procedure, the patient complained of increasing left abdominal pain. His computed tomography image showed free gas, but his operative findings revealed no macroscopic perforation or abscess formation. Eight hours after the operation, the patient presented with myoglobulinuria, and we diagnosed the condition to be rhabdomyolysis. Based on this case, we recommend that rhabdomyolysis be added to the list of complications following a colonoscopic procedure. Moreover, for prevention and early treatment, endoscopists should be attentive to the risk factors and signs/symptoms of rhabdomyolysis.

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