Prospective Analysis of More than 1,000 Patients with Rectal Carcinoma: Are There Gender-Related Differences?

Abstract

Background: Since the beginning of the new millennium gender medicine has become more and more relevant. The goal has been to unveil differences in presentation, treatment response, and prognosis of men and women with regard to various diseases. Methods: This study encompassed 1,061 patients who underwent surgery for rectal cancer at the Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Germany, between January 1990 and December 2011. Prospectively documented demographic, clinical, pathological, and follow-up data were obtained. Analysis encompassed the comparison of clinical, histopathological, and oncological parameters with regard to the subcohorts of male and female patients. Results: No statistically significant differences could be found for clinical and histopathological parameters, location of tumor, resection with or without anastomosis, palliative or curative treatment, conversion rates, duration of surgery, and long-term survival. For the entire cohort, gender-related statistically significant differences in complications encompassed anastomotic leakage, burst abdomen, pneumonia, and urinary tract complications all of which occurred more often in men. Conclusion: Data obtained in this study suggest that there are no gender-related differences in the oncologic surgical treatment of patients with rectal carcinoma. However, male sex seems to be a risk factor for increased early postoperative morbidity.

Evaluating Postoperative Prognosis: A Single Surgeon's Experience With Total Mesorectal Excision in Middle and Lower Rectal Cancer Cases in Iraq

“…The distribution of stage at diagnosis was similar between men and women [ 12 ]. Conversely, a study by Kleemann et al involving 1000 patients with rectal cancer reported no gender-related differences in the oncologic surgical treatment outcomes of patients with rectal carcinoma, although male gender appeared to be a risk factor for increased early postoperative morbidity [ 13 ]. This discrepancy might be attributed to the higher prevalence of comorbidities among older age groups.…”