Abstract
PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intestinal stent placement as a bridge to surgery in patients with left colon cancer complicated by intestinal obstruction (LCCO). METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on 111 patients diagnosed with LCCO at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between January 2015 and August 2019. Patients were divided into two groups: the stent group (SG, n = 41) and the emergency surgery group (EG, n = 70). Primary endpoints included 3-year progression-free survival (PFS), local recurrence, and distant metastasis rates. Secondary endpoints encompassed 3-year overall survival (OS), intraoperative parameters (lymph node dissection, blood loss, operative time), enterostomy rate, postoperative complications, and hospital stay duration. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between SG and EG in 3-year PFS (59% vs. 41%, P = 0.091), OS (61% vs. 44%, P = 0.051), or metastasis rates (19.5% vs. 20%, P = 0.95). However, SG demonstrated superior short-term outcomes, including reduced intraoperative blood loss (60 mL vs. 78 mL, P = 0.02), shorter hospital stay (10.2 vs. 16.1 days, P < 0.001), lower enterostomy rate (0% vs. 100%, P < 0.001), and fewer postoperative complications (14.6% vs. 24.3%, P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Stenting in patients with left colon cancer with obstruction can relieve the symptoms of intestinal obstruction in time. Compared with emergency open surgery, it has better short-term results and does not affect the long-term curative effect of the tumor.