Published online Sep 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i33.5565
Revised: May 30, 2013
Accepted: July 4, 2013
Published online: September 7, 2013
AIM: To perform a meta-analysis of palliative stent placement vs palliative surgical decompression for management of incurable malignant colorectal obstructions.
METHODS: The databases of Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from their inception to July 2012 for studies (prospective, retrospective, randomized controlled trials, and case-control trials) designed as comparative analyses of patients with incurable malignant colorectal obstructions treated by self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) or palliative surgery. No language restrictions were imposed. The main outcome measures were hospital stay, intensive care unit admission, clinical success rate, 30-d mortality, stoma formation, complications, and overall survival time. The data extraction was conducted by two investigators working independently and using a standardized form. The Mantel-Haenszel χ2 method was used to estimate the pooled risk ratios with 95%CI under a fixed-effects model; when statistical heterogeneity existed in the pooled data (as evaluated by Q test and I2 statistics, where P < 0.10 and I2 < 25% indicated heterogeneity), a random-effects model was used.
RESULTS: Thirteen relevant articles, representing 837 patients (SEMS group, n = 404; surgery group, n = 433), were selected for analysis. Compared to the surgery group, the SEMS group showed lower clinical success (99.8% vs 93.1%, P = 0.0009) but shorter durations of hospital stay (18.84 d vs 9.55 d, P < 0.00001) and time to initiation of chemotherapy (33.36 d vs 15.53 d, P < 0.00001), and lower rate of stoma formation (54.0% vs 12.7%, P < 0.00001). Additionally, the SEMS group experienced a significantly lower rate of 30-d mortality (4.2% vs 10.5%, P = 0.01). Stent-related complications were not uncommon and included perforation (10.1%), migration (9.2%), and occlusion (18.3%). Surgery-related complications were slightly less common and included wound infection (5.0%) and anastomotic leak (4.7%). The rate of total complications was similar between these two groups (SEMS: 34.0% vs surgery: 38.1%, P = 0.60), but the surgery-related complications occurred earlier than stent-related complications (rate of early complications: 33.7% vs 13.7%, P = 0.03; rate of late complications: 32.3% vs 12.7%, P < 0.0001). The overall survival time of SEMS- and surgery-treated patients was not significantly different (7.64 mo vs 7.88 mo).
CONCLUSION: SEMS is less effective than surgery for palliation of incurable malignant colorectal obstructions, but is associated with a shorter time to chemotherapy and lower 30-d mortality.
Core tip: This meta-analysis demonstrates the advantages of self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement as palliative therapy for incurable malignant colorectal obstructions. Specifically, when compared to the outcomes of surgical treatment, the SEMS treatment is associated with shorter hospital stay and interval to chemotherapy initiation, as well as lower early morbidity and 30-d mortality rates. These advantageous features may surmount the overall lower rate of palliative efficacy when considering treatment options for cases with extensive metastatic disease or severe comorbid medical illness that disqualify a patient from operative candidacy; regardless, SEMS application should be performed as an alternative to surgery with caution.