La Fe promotes project to improve the health of colorectal cancer patients

The Polytechnic University Hospital of La Fe is conducting a prospective randomized trial, involving all public centers in Valencia, to study the effectiveness of surgical staplers in reducing colorectal anastomotic leaks and thus improving the quality of life of patients. The Coloproctology Department of the Polytechnic University Hospital of La Fe, currently headed by the surgeon Blas Flor-Lorente, is the initiator of the Trivedo study, which also includes all public hospitals in Valencia.

The study is being promoted in collaboration with La Fe, the Valencian Coloproctology Group of the Valencian Society of Surgeons, which is a national reference in the field of diseases such as colorectal cancer and, according to Dr. Flor-Lorente, in studies of this type. “They set the guidelines for surgical treatment for the majority of surgeons throughout the country.”

According to the head of the La Fe department in Valencia, José Luis Poveda, this is “a unique opportunity to bring together the greatest experts in the Valencian community in the field of colorectal cancer to carry out this ambitious study,” which is multicentre, randomized and prospective, since it starts now and will last until 2026.

In the field of colorectal surgery, explains Flor-Lorente, “advancements in surgical techniques and instruments play a fundamental role in improving patient outcomes and minimizing postoperative side effects.” One of these side effects, which in turn is the most important for surgeons and patients, according to the study’s principal investigator, Maria José Gomez Jurado, is “the opening of the anastomosis after joining the two parts of the digestive tract.” That is, when a diseased section of the colon is removed and at the junction of the remaining segments, intestinal contents or gases leak into the abdominal cavity, which can cause infections, abscesses or pus, peritonitis and other serious problems.

“Patients who have this problem,” explains Enrique Boldo, head of general surgery at the provincial hospital of Castellón, as well as study investigator, “require one or more surgical interventions and sometimes an ostomy or an artificial opening to eliminate waste and must be admitted to a ward intensive care. All this leads to longer hospital stays, and in addition, failed treatment leads to a mortality rate that can be as high as 18%.”

Latest generation stapler.
To reduce the risk of this complication, surgical techniques include controlled technological advancements to ensure patient safety. One of the greatest milestones in coloproctology, as doctors Flor-Lorente and Boldo agreed to note, was the development of circular surgical staplers to prevent colorectal anastomotic leaks.

In this scenario, the Trivedo Project aims to study the effect of triple stapler versus traditional stapler to evaluate and compare the anastomotic leakage rate and thus clarify the potential benefits that the triple stapler can provide. According to Olga Coronado, coloproctology specialist at the Provincial Hospital of Castellón, recruitment of patients from different hospitals who have undergone resection as a treatment for colorectal cancer will begin soon.