Curative pelvic exenteration: initial experience and clinical outcome

Abstract

Introduction: in patients with advanced primary or recurrent gynecologic, urologic, or rectal cancers without metastatic disease, extensive aggressive surgery such as pelvic exenteration may be necessary for curative intent treatment. This study aims to present the initial experience and clinical outcome of curative pelvic exenteration procedures for advanced or recurrent pelvic cancer in our center.

Methods: a retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the colorectal unit at King Hussein Medical Center in Amman, Jordan, between March 2014 and December 2021. All patients who underwent pelvic exenteration procedures were included in this study. Demographic characteristics, type of procedure, completeness of excision, postoperative complications, morbidity, and mortality were analyzed.

Results: a total of 30 patients underwent thirty-one operations. There were 22 females and eight males with a median age of 55 (range 25-86) years. Twenty-six surgeries were for advanced primary and 5 for recurrent malignancies. Twenty-nine operations were performed for colorectal and 2 for gynecological tumors. There were 19 posterior pelvic exenterations, 2 posterior pelvic exenterations with sacrectomy, and ten total pelvic exenterations. Completeness of tumor excision R0 was observed in 21 specimens, incomplete (R1/R2) in 6 specimens. The overall complication rate was 67.7% and 30-day mortality was 16.7%. Ten (33.3%) patients are disease free at a median follow-up of 22 months.

Conclusion: in our study, pelvic exenteration provides above 40% overall survival at a median follow-up of two years. Gaining experience in this type of procedure, a multidisciplinary approach, careful patients' selection, and preoperative counseling will reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality.