Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35337683›Full record

ArticleSurgery2022

The effect of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on sphincter preserving surgery for rectal cancer: A single referral center experience.

Michael R Freund, Ilan Kent, Nir Horesh, Timothy Smith, Marcella Zamis, Ryan Meyer, Shlomo Yellinek, Steven D Wexner

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. The impact of COVID-19 on inflammatory bowel disease surgery: a systematic review.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Total Neoadjuvant Therapy Is a Predictor for Complete Pathological Response in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Rectal Cancer.Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Michael R FreundDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/mikifreund.
Ilan KentDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/ilan_kent.
Nir HoreshDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/nirhoresh.
Timothy SmithDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL.
Marcella ZamisDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL.
Ryan MeyerDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL.
Shlomo YellinekDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/SYellinek.
Steven D WexnerDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL. Electronic address: wexners@ccf.org.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCOVID-19 has significantly impacted healthcare worldwide. Lack of screening and limited access to healthcare has delayed diagnosis and treatment of various malignancies. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on sphincter-preserving surgery in patients with rectal cancer.

methodsThis was a single-center retrospective study of patients undergoing surgery for newly diagnosed rectal cancer. Patients operated on during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-February 2021) comprised the study group (COVID-19 era), while patients operated on prior to the pandemic (March 2016-February 2020) served as the control group (pre-COVID-19).

resultsThis study included 234 patients diagnosed with rectal cancer; 180 (77%) patients in the pre-COVID-19 group and 54 patients (23%) in the COVID-19-era group. There were no differences between the groups in terms of mean patient age, sex, or body mass index. The COVID-19-era group presented with a significantly higher rate of locally advanced disease (stage T3/T4 79% vs 58%; P = .02) and metastatic disease (9% vs 3%; P = .05). The COVID-19-era group also had a much higher percentage of patients treated with total neoadjuvant therapy (52% vs 15%; P = .001) and showed a significantly lower rate of sphincter-preserving surgery (73% vs 86%; P = .028). Time from diagnosis to surgery in this group was also significantly longer (median 272 vs 146 days; P < .0001).

conclusionPatients undergoing surgery for rectal cancer during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic presented later and at a more advanced stage. They were more likely to be treated with total neoadjuvant therapy and were less likely candidates for sphincter-preserving surgery.

Indexed as

COVID-19Rectal NeoplasmsHumansNeoadjuvant TherapyNeoplasm StagingPandemicsReferral and ConsultationRetrospective StudiesTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID35337683
PMCPMC8849841

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.