Surgical intervention for malignant bowel obstruction caused by gastrointestinal malignancies

BACKGROUND: Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a common event for end-stage gastrointestinal cancer patients. Previous studies had demonstrated manifestations and clinical management of MBO with mixed malignancies. There still lack reports of the surgical treatment of MBO. AIM: To analyze the short-term outcomes and prognosis of palliative surgery for MBO caused by gastrointestinal cancer. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 61 patients received palliative surgery between January 2016 to October 2018 was performed, of which 31 patients underwent massive debulking surgery (MDS) and 30 underwent ostomy/by-pass surgery (OBS). The 60-d symptom palliation rate, 30-d morbidity and mortality, and overall survival rates were compared between the two groups. CONCLUSION: For patients with MBO caused by peritoneal metastatic colorectal cancer, MDS can improve symptom palliation rates and prolong survival, without increasing mortality and morbidity rates.