Colon stenting for colorectal cancer complicated by intestinal obstruction

This review outlines the historical background to the development of endoprosthetics (stenting) of the large intestine as a distinct field within minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer complicated by obstructive intestinal obstruction, and the contribution of Russian and foreign surgeons to the popularization of the method. Given the validity of incorporating stent technology into the treatment strategy for tumor-related colonic obstruction, it has been demonstrated that a two-stage surgical treatment strategy, involving preliminary colon stenting in the first stage and performance of radical surgery in the second, improves immediate and long-term treatment outcomes and enhances patients’ quality of life. It has been postulated that the correct determination of indications for colon stenting has contributed to a reduction in the incidence of postoperative complications from 10.5% to 3.6%, mortality from 13.6% to 2.7%, and an increase in the frequency of primary radical and immediate reconstructive operations from 55% to 66.8%. It has been shown that in stage IV colorectal cancer complicated by acute intestinal obstruction, colon stenting can serve as a definitive palliative treatment method in patients with a short life expectancy. In the context of the oncological aspects of the problem, it has been shown that in patients receiving chemotherapy with monoclonal antibody-based drugs which inhibit the biological activity of vascular endothelial growth and angiogenesis, stenting is contraindicated due to the high risk of stent-induced perforation of the large intestine.