Abstract
SUMMARY Aim:The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between fecal incontinence and quality of life after low anterior resection and long-term follow-up. Methods: For 72 patients with coloanal or low colorectal anastomosis, the quality of life was determined by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaires C-30 and CR-38. The Vaizey score was used for assessment of fecal incontinence. Results: The risk of fecal incontinence significantly increased with a lower level of anastomosis (p < 0.001). The QLQ CR-38 did not discern differences between patients. The OLQ C-30 only found significantly worse social and role function in patients with coloanal anastomosis. There was a weak correlation between fecal incontinence and quality of life only. Conclusion: Determination of quality of life by EORTC QLQ C-30 and CR-38 cannot replace measurement of functional outcome. Severity of fecal incontinence and quality of life should be determined separately for assessment of functional outcome after low anterior resection.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
Ethical conduct of research
The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.