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Preoperative beta blockers and other drugs in relation to anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal cancer

Gerdin, Anders ; Park, Jennifer ; Häggström, Jenny ; Segelman, Josefin ; Matthiessen, Peter ; Lydrup, Marie Louise LU and Rutegård, Martin (2024) In Colorectal Disease
Abstract

Aim: Previous research has indicated that preoperative beta blocker therapy is associated with a decreased risk of complications after surgery for rectal cancer. This is thought to arise because of the anti-inflammatory activity of the drug. These results need to be reproduced and analyses extended to other drugs with such properties, as this information might be useful in clinical decision-making. The main aim of this work was to replicate previous findings of beta blocker use as a prognostic marker for postoperative leakage. We also investigated whether drug exposure might induce anastomotic leaks. Method: This is a retrospective multicentre cohort study, comprising 1126 patients who underwent anterior resection for rectal cancer... (More)

Aim: Previous research has indicated that preoperative beta blocker therapy is associated with a decreased risk of complications after surgery for rectal cancer. This is thought to arise because of the anti-inflammatory activity of the drug. These results need to be reproduced and analyses extended to other drugs with such properties, as this information might be useful in clinical decision-making. The main aim of this work was to replicate previous findings of beta blocker use as a prognostic marker for postoperative leakage. We also investigated whether drug exposure might induce anastomotic leaks. Method: This is a retrospective multicentre cohort study, comprising 1126 patients who underwent anterior resection for rectal cancer between 2014 and 2018. The use of any preoperative beta blocker was treated as the primary exposure, while anastomotic leakage within 12 months of surgery was the outcome. Secondary exposures comprised angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, statins and metformin. Using multivariable regression, we performed a replication analysis with a predictive aim for beta blockers only, while adjustment for confounding was done in more causally oriented analyses for all drugs. We estimated incidence rate ratio (IRR) and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Anastomotic leakage occurred in 20.6% of patients. Preoperative beta blockers were used by 22.7% of the cohort, while the leak distribution was almost identical between exposure groups. In the main replication analysis, no association could be detected (IRR 0.95, 95% CI 0.68–1.33). In the causally oriented analyses, only metformin affected the risk of leakage (RR 1.59, 95% Cl 1.31–1.92). Conclusion: While previous research has suggested that preoperative beta blocker use could be prognostic of anastomotic leakage, this study could not detect any such association. On the contrary, our results indicate that preoperative beta blocker use neither predicts nor causes anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal cancer.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
adenocarcinoma, beta blockers, leak, metformin, rectum
in
Colorectal Disease
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:38462750
  • scopus:85187112434
ISSN
1462-8910
DOI
10.1111/codi.16933
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a57c093a-21cb-43b3-971a-baeaedcde8b4
date added to LUP
2024-04-03 15:10:27
date last changed
2024-04-17 17:21:52
@article{a57c093a-21cb-43b3-971a-baeaedcde8b4,
  abstract     = {{<p>Aim: Previous research has indicated that preoperative beta blocker therapy is associated with a decreased risk of complications after surgery for rectal cancer. This is thought to arise because of the anti-inflammatory activity of the drug. These results need to be reproduced and analyses extended to other drugs with such properties, as this information might be useful in clinical decision-making. The main aim of this work was to replicate previous findings of beta blocker use as a prognostic marker for postoperative leakage. We also investigated whether drug exposure might induce anastomotic leaks. Method: This is a retrospective multicentre cohort study, comprising 1126 patients who underwent anterior resection for rectal cancer between 2014 and 2018. The use of any preoperative beta blocker was treated as the primary exposure, while anastomotic leakage within 12 months of surgery was the outcome. Secondary exposures comprised angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, statins and metformin. Using multivariable regression, we performed a replication analysis with a predictive aim for beta blockers only, while adjustment for confounding was done in more causally oriented analyses for all drugs. We estimated incidence rate ratio (IRR) and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Anastomotic leakage occurred in 20.6% of patients. Preoperative beta blockers were used by 22.7% of the cohort, while the leak distribution was almost identical between exposure groups. In the main replication analysis, no association could be detected (IRR 0.95, 95% CI 0.68–1.33). In the causally oriented analyses, only metformin affected the risk of leakage (RR 1.59, 95% Cl 1.31–1.92). Conclusion: While previous research has suggested that preoperative beta blocker use could be prognostic of anastomotic leakage, this study could not detect any such association. On the contrary, our results indicate that preoperative beta blocker use neither predicts nor causes anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal cancer.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gerdin, Anders and Park, Jennifer and Häggström, Jenny and Segelman, Josefin and Matthiessen, Peter and Lydrup, Marie Louise and Rutegård, Martin}},
  issn         = {{1462-8910}},
  keywords     = {{adenocarcinoma; beta blockers; leak; metformin; rectum}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Colorectal Disease}},
  title        = {{Preoperative beta blockers and other drugs in relation to anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal cancer}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/codi.16933}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/codi.16933}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}