Low Anterior Resection Syndrome and Quality of Life

Abstract

The quality of life of patients who have had rectal cancer is closely associated with the severity of the low anterior resection syndrome. Therefore, it is important that clinicians and researchers focus on this syndrome to improve the prevention and the treatment of bowel dysfunction and the information given to patients.

Quality of Life After Sphincter-Preserving Rectal Cancer Resection

“…21, 23 Juul and colleagues found a substantial worsening in 7 of 8 EORTC QLQ-C30 scales because of major LARS compared with no or only minor LARS. 24 Our study did not reveal a difference in global health status, most functional subscales on bowel function, and stool frequency between irradiated and nonirradiated AR patients. The divergent results of our subgroup analysis are therefore best explained with the absence of major LARS within the radiation group and the relatively small number of patients.…”

Early rectal cancer: the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) clinical consensus conference

“…Most evidence concerning the impaired anorectal and sexual function and the poor quality of life after anterior resection comes from studies that included locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery [190]. There are very few data regarding the anorectal function and quality of life after abdominal rectal resection and TME for ERC.…”

A Cross-Sectional Review of Reporting Variation in Postoperative Bowel Dysfunction After Rectal Cancer Surgery

“…However, loss of the normal rectal reservoir function can result in severe post-operative bowel dysfunction. The resulting syndrome, Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS), can severely impact on quality of life (QoL) and is estimated to affect 50% -90% of patients [3][4][5] .…”