The Comparison of the Quality of Life and Complications in Segmental Colectomy and Subtotal Colectomy as the Treatment for Malignant the Left Colon Tumors

Background: this study was designed to compare postoperative complications, mortality and quality of life associated with the type of surgery (subtotal colectomy vs. segmental colectomy) in patients with left colon tumors. subtotal colectomy and segmental colectomy are the two most common strategies used for treating the left colon’s malignant tumors. however, each patient’s optimal elective surgical treatment for the left colon’s malignant tumors is unclear. choosing the optimal treatment for each patient, taking into account the individual conditions and preferences of the patients, with the least chance for occurrence of complications and the highest quality of life can help patients to ultimately return to everyday life. methods: in this retrospective multi-centric study, patients with left colon tumors who had not received neoadjuvant and have undergone subtotal colectomy or segmental colectomy from 2016 to 2018 were enrolled. mortality rate, quality of life and postoperative complications such as problems with defecation were assessed as the main outcome measures. results: in patients with malignant tumors of left colon, both subtotal colectomy and segmental colectomy surgical methods reached the satisfactory results. in fact, there was no significant difference between the two surgical methods except that patients who had undergone subtotal colectomy showed better stool control capability. conclusion: there was no significant difference between the two surgical procedures regarding postoperative complications and quality of life.