ArticleInternational journal of colorectal disease2025
A 2-year prospective study on the evolution of Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) following rectal cancer surgery.
Article in International journal of colorectal disease, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Incremental Predictive Value of Conventional MRI Pelvimetry for Major Low Anterior Resection Syndrome After Rectal Cancer Surgery.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Genomic, transcriptomic, and molecular predictors of response to neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer: a narrative review.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2026Review
- [Anorectal functional disorders following organ-preserving treatment and resection of rectal cancer].Chirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Quality of Life and Functional Outcomes After Rectal Cancer Surgery: A Comparative Study Applying EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-CR29, and LARS Score at 1-6 Months Postoperatively.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Laparoscopic Resection Rectopexy with Transanal Specimen Extraction for Complete Rectal Prolapse: Retrospective Cohort Study of Functional Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Trajectories of psychological distress and associated factors in patients with postoperative Low Anterior Resection Syndrome: a longitudinal latent class analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Low anterior resection syndrome after rectal cancer surgery: mechanisms, assessment, management, and the potential role of robotic surgery.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Bidirectional longitudinal associations between low anterior resection syndrome and stigma in patients with postoperative LARS: a cross-lagged panel study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThis study investigated the evolution of Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) over 2 years following Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) for rectal cancer.
methodsIn this prospective cohort study, patients were recruited from three Belgian hospitals between January 2017 and January 2021. The primary outcome was the evolution of LARS, assessed with the LARS score at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively or after stoma closure. The proportion of patients in each LARS category (no, minor, major) was analyzed, and transitions over time were examined using Bowker's test of symmetry. The secondary outcome was health-related quality of life, measured using the Short Form-12 (SF-12) at the same time points.
resultsOf 180 patients who underwent TME for rectal cancer, 87 (48.3%) completed the LARS score at all time points. At 1 month postoperatively, 66 patients (75.9%) had major LARS, decreasing to 51 patients (58.6%) at 6 months (p = 0.028). No significant changes were observed thereafter (p = 0.43 and p = 0.45 for 6 to 12 months and 12-24 months, respectively). Among the 51 patients with major LARS at 6 months, 10 patients (20%) improved by 12 and 24 months. Between 1 month and later time points, approximately 60% remained in the same category, 30% improved, and 10% deteriorated. Mean SF-12 physical and mental scores were similar across LARS categories at all time points.
conclusionThe majority of spontaneous improvement in LARS occurred within the first 6 months postoperatively, with little improvement thereafter. These findings highlight the need for early proactive management rather than expectant follow-up.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.