Do the types of perforation impact the outcomes in perforated stage II/III colorectal cancer patients?

Purpose: To compare the oncological outcomes between colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with tumor perforation and those with perforation proximal to the tumor. Patients and methods: Medical charts of 39 patients who underwent emergency surgery for colonic perforation related to potentially curable CRC were reviewed. Results: Eighteen patients developed tumor perforation (group A), whereas 21 patients developed perforation proximal to the tumor (group B). Twenty-four patients were pathological stage II and 15 patients were stage III. There were no significant differences in the clinicopathological and surgical data, including hospital mortality, between the groups; however, the incidence of diffuse peritonitis was higher in group B than that in group A (P < 0.01). The induction rates of adjuvant chemotherapy for survivors were identical between the two groups. Disease-free and overall survival periods did not significantly differ between the groups. Conclusion: Perforation type was not found to be associated with oncological outcomes in patients with CRC-related perforation.