Malignant colorectal polyps: endoscopic polypectomy and watchful waiting is not inferior to subsequent bowel resection. A nationwide propensity score-based analysis

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Background and aims: The optimal treatment of patients with malignant colorectal polyps is unsettled. The surgical dilemma following polypectomy is selecting between watchful waiting (WW) and subsequent bowel resection (SBR), but the long-term survival outcomes have not been established yet. This nationwide study compared survival of patients after WW or SBR. Methods: Danish nationwide study with 100% follow-up of all patients with malignant colorectal polyps (the Danish Colorectal Cancer Group database) in a 10-year period from 2001 to 2011. All patients’ charts and histological reports were individually reviewed. Survival rates were calculated with Cox proportional hazard model after propensity score matching. Results: A total of 692 patients were included (WW, 424 (61.3%), SBR, 268 (38.7%)) with a mean follow-up of 7.5 years (3–188 months). Following propensity score matching, there was no significant difference in overall or disease-free survival (p = 0.344 and p = 0.184) or rate of local recurrence (WW, 7.2%, SBR, 2%, p = 0.052) or distant metastases (WW, 3.3%, SBR, 4.6%, p = 0.77). In the SBR group, there was no residual tumor or lymph node metastases in the resected specimen in 82.5% of the patients. Conclusion: Subsequent bowel resection may not be superior to endoscopic polypectomy and watchful waiting with regard to overall and disease-free survival in patients with malignant colorectal polyps.

Original languageEnglish
JournalLangenbeck's Archives of Surgery
Volume404
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)231-242
Number of pages12
ISSN1435-2443
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

    Research areas

  • Cancer in adenomas, Malignant polyp, Polypectomy, pT1 colorectal cancer

ID: 223453662