Perineal wound complication risk factors and effects on survival after abdominoperineal resection of rectal cancer: a single-centre retrospective study

Purpose This study determined the risk factors associated with perineal wound complications (PWCs) and investigated their effect on overall survival in patients with rectal cancer who underwent abdominoperineal resection (APR). Methods The clinicopathologic and follow-up data of patients who underwent APR for primary rectal cancer between 1998 and 2018 were reviewed. PWCs were defined as any perineal wound that required surgical intervention, antibiotics, or delayed healing for more than 2 weeks. The primary objective was identifying the risk factors of PWC after APR. The effect of PWC on survival was also investigated as a secondary objective. Results Two hundred and twenty patients were included in the final analyses and 49 had PWCs. An operative time of > 285 min (odds ratio: 2.440, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.257–4.889) was found to be independently associated with PWCs. When the follow-up time was > 60 months, patients with PWCs had a significantly lower overall survival rate than patients without PWC ( n = 156; mean over survival: 187 and 164 months in patients without and with PWCs, respectively; P = 0.045). Poor differentiation (hazard ratio (HR): 1.893, 95% CI: 1.127–3.179), lymph node metastasis (HR: 2.063, 95% CI: 1.228–3.467), and distant metastasis (HR: 3.046, 95% CI: 1.551–5.983) were associated with poor prognosis. Conclusion Prolonged operative time increases the risk of PWCs, and patients with PWCs have a lower long-term survival rate than patients without PWCs. Therefore, surgeons should aim to reduce the operative time to minimise the risk of PWC in patients undergoing APR for rectal cancer.