Prevalence of colorectal cancer in patients during preoperative assessment of abdominal wall hernia

Abstract

Introduction: colorectal cancer is the third cause of death for cancer in men and the second cause of cancer in women in our country. It has been suggested that patients with abdominal wall hernias would have more chances of associating colorectal cancer, what has led many scientific societies to recommend patients to undergo a video colonoscopy to look for colorectal cancer prior to the surgical treatment of the hernia. More recent studies have questioned such indication, and do not recommend the video colonoscopy I patients with abdominal wall hernias in the absence of other symptoms.
Objective: Specific. To determine the prevalence of colorectal cancer and pre-neoplastic lesions in patients during preoperative assessment of abdominal wall hernias.
Secondary. To determine if there is a statistical connection between colorectal cancer and abdominal wall hernias.
Method: we conducted a retrospective study of control cases, which included patients who were seen at the Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the University Hospital between January 2006 and February 2014. Cases were defined between when a colonoscopy had been indicated prior to the surgical repair of their abdominal wall hernia, and the control group was made up of patients who were seen at the same unit, during the same period of time, seeking for a video colonoscopy for a colorectal cancer screening.
Results: 225 patients were included in the cases group. Within this group, 55 video colonoscopies (24.4%) were incomplete for several reasons (56.4% due to intolerance). Two patients (0.9%) were diagnosed with colorectal cancer (one of cancer in the ascending colon and the other one cancer in the descending colon). 230 patients were included in the control group. In this group, one patient (0.43%) presented cancer in the ascending colon, 21 colorectal cancer (9.1%) were partial given to intolerance, in most cases.
Discusion: the association between conditions that increase intra-abdominal pressure and result in hernias has been proved; and for this reason it could be thought that a symptomatic colorectal cancer could cause them. However, there is no evidence that indicates that an asymptomatic colorectal cancer could cause the same. In this study there were no meaning differences in the frequency of colorectal cancer between the case and the control groups.
Conclusions: the decision as to whether to perform a video colonoscopy or not should follow the usual guidelines recommended by the scientific societies regarding the colorectal cancer screening instead of basing the decis0ion on the presence of hernias.