Incidence and Outcomes of Low Anterior Resection Syndrome in Patients Undergoing Preventive Ostomy for Laparoscopic Rectal Cancer Surgery

Abstract

AIM: This study aimed to explore the incidence and risk factors of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) in patients undergoing preventive colostomy following laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery. Additionally, the outcomes of LARS were analyzed to provide evidence for effective prevention and treatment strategies.

METHODS: The medical records of 143 patients with laparoscopic rectal cancer who underwent preventive ostomy at the Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University between January 2020 and October 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent ostomy reversal within 2 to 6 months post-surgery. The LARS score scale was used to evaluate the occurrence of LARS at 3, 6, and 12months post-surgery. Based on LARS scores, patients were divided into LARS and non-LARS groups. Clinical characteristics, including gender, TNM stage, and other related data, were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for LARS, and the predictive performance of the regression model was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS: The LARS score demonstrated a significant decrease over time after surgery (p < 0.05). LARS was identified in 80 patients (55.94%) at 3 months post-surgery, with no new cases reported after this period. Statistically significant differences between the LARS and non-LARS groups were observed in body mass index (BMI), tumor distance from the anal margin, postoperative anastomotic fistula, and the timing of ostomy reversal (p < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis revealed that the logistic regression model predicting LARS had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.809 (95% CI: 0.735–0.870), with a sensitivity of 76.25% and a specificity of 79.37%. Among the LARS patients 3 months post-surgery, 73.75% (59/80) showed improvement by 12 months. The improvement rate in patients with mild LARS (87.93%) was significantly higher than in those with severe LARS (36.36%) (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of LARS is relatively high in patients undergoing preventive ostomy after laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery. Key factors associated with LARS include BMI, tumor distance from the anal margin, postoperative anastomotic fistula, and the timing of ostomy reversal. Over time, the incidence of LARS decreases, and outcomes improve, especially in patients with mild LARS.