Results of surgery for pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer. Experience in a referral center.

Abstract Introduction The only curative treatment of pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer is radical resection. The aim of this paper is to analyze our experience in surgery for local recurrence of rectal cancer. Methods We performed a descriptive retrospective analysis of patients treated with curative intent for local recurrence of rectal cancer from May 2000 to January 2014. The presence of resectable liver or lung metastases was not an exclusion criterion. The descriptive results, overall survival and disease free survival are presented. Results A total of 35 patients were included. In 18 patients an abdominoperineal resection of the remaining rectum was performed. Two of them included excision of lower sacral vertebrae, while in 17 patients, sphincter sparing surgery was performed. The most frequent postoperative complications were pelvic collection and postoperative ileus. Seven patients required reoperation and one patient died. Overall survival at 1 year was 91.2%, at 2 years 75.6% and at 5 years 37%. Conclusions Local recurrence of rectal cancer is a disease with high curability rate. The only curative option is radical surgery, with acceptable mortality.