Impact of Anastomotic Leakage After Colorectal Cancer Surgery on Quality of Life: A Systematic Review.

Background: Colorectal anastomotic leakage remains one of the most frequent and dreaded postoperative complications following colorectal resection. However, limited research has been conducted on the impact of this complication on quality of life of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to identify, appraise and synthesize the available evidence regarding quality of life in patients with anastomotic leakage following oncological colorectal resections in order to inform clinical decision-making.

Data sources and study selection: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library were searched for studies reporting on quality of life using validated questionnaires in patients with anastomotic leakage after oncological colorectal resections. The literature search was performed systematically and according to PRISMA guidelines.

Outcomes: Outcomes of quality of life questionnaire scores of patients with and without anastomotic leakage were analyzed.

Results: Thirteen articles reporting on 4618 individual patients were included, among which 527 patients developed anastomotic leakage. Quality of life was evaluated utilizing ten distinct questionnaires administered at various postoperative time points, ranging from 1 month to 14 years. Quality of life outcomes differed across studies and timepoints, but overall scores were most negatively affected by anastomotic leakage up to 12 months postoperatively.

Limitations: There was a high heterogeneity between the included studies based on used questionnaires and time of assessment.

Conclusion: The published evidence suggests that anastomotic leakage following oncologic colorectal resection is associated with impaired quality of life, especially within the first postoperative year. The impact of anastomotic leakage on quality of life warrants further evaluation and discussion with patients.