Comparison of Quality of Life Scores in Patients Who Underwent Low Anterior Resection and Abdominoperineal Resection for Tumors of The Rectum

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Objectives: This study makes a comparison of the quality of life of patients who have undergone different forms of radical surgery for tumors of the rectum.Background: Colorectal carcinoma is the third most common form of cancer among all cancer types, and the most common type of all gastrointestinal system cancers.Methods: Patients who had undergone a Low Anterior Resection (LAR) or an Abdominoperineal Resection (APR) for rectal cancer were compared using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) quality of life measure.Results: The physical function, role limitations due to physical functions, role limitations due to emotional problems, vitality, mental health, social functionality, and general health perception of the patients who underwent APR were statistically and significantly better then in patients who underwent LAR, while no significant difference was found in the bodily pain scores of the two groups.Conclusion: Patients who underwent LAR achieve a quite good quality of life when no complications developed, while their quality of life was poorer than those fitted with a permanent stoma upon the development of complications.In this regard, the APR resection technique may be preferable to restorative procedures when there is a high risk of such complications as anastomotic stricture and anastomotic leakage.