Surgical management for a malignant bowel obstruction with recurrent gastrointestinal carcinoma

BACKGROUND: A malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a common clinical complication in patients with recurrent gastrointestinal carcinoma, which has a poor prognosis and a limited life expectancy. This study considered the effectiveness of surgical management for MBO. METHODS: This study reviewed the clinical course of 70 patients who underwent surgery for MBO and compared the outcomes in three groups: patients with (A) peritonitis carcinomatosis without manifest ascites, (B) peritonitis carcinomatosis with ascites, (C) local recurrence without peritonitis carcinomatosis. RESULTS: The 1-year survival rate and median survival time (MST) in the patients in group A were 33.3% and 228 days, which was statistically longer than those (6.7% and 46 days) in the patients in group B (P = 0.026). The rate of the patients with possible oral intake of solid meals for 6 months and median oral intake periods were 45.4% and 161 days in patients in group A and 28.0% and 93 days in patients in group C. In contrast, 66.7% in group B could not take solid meals for more than 1 month, and five patients could not take solid meals at all. CONCLUSION: Palliative operations for the patients with manifest ascites of MBO are risky and rarely effectively improve oral intake, but this is not considered to be a contraindication for surgical management. Informed consent is therefore important in the surgical management of MBO.