International Validation of the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Score (original) (raw)
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Slovenian Journal of Public Health
Purpose The purpose of this study was to translate the low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score into Slovenian and to test its validity on Slovenian patients who underwent low anterior rectal resection. Methods The LARS score was translated from English into Slovenian and then back-translated following international recommendations. The Slovenian version of the LARS questionnaire was completed by patients who underwent low anterior rectal resection between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2010 at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. An anchor question assessing the impact of bowel function on lifestyle was included. To assess test-retest reliability, some of the patients answered the LARS score questionnaire twice. Results A total of 100 patients (66.7%) of the 150 patients who were contacted for participation, were included in the final analysis. A total of 58 patients reported major LARS score. The LARS score was able to discriminate between patients who received radiotherap...
Colorectal Disease, 2021
Aim-Neoadjuvant therapy and total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer are associated with bowel dysfunction symptoms known as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). Our study compared the only two validated instruments-the LARS Questionnaire (LARS-Q) and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Bowel Function Instrument (MSK-BFI)-in rectal cancer patients undergoing sphincter-preserving TME. Methods-190 patients undergoing sphincter-preserving TME for stage I-III rectal cancer completed the MSK-BFI and LARS-Q simultaneously at a median time of 12 (range 1-43) months after restoration of bowel continuity. Associations between the MSK-BFI total/subscale scores and the LARS-Q score were investigated using Spearman rank correlation (r s). Discriminant validity for the two questionnaires was assessed, and the questionnaires were compared with the European Quality of Life Instrument. Results-Major LARS was identified in 62% of patients. The median MSK-BFI scores for no LARS, minor LARS, and major LARS were 76.5, 70, and 57, respectively. We found a strong association between MSK-BFI and LARS-Q (r s −0.79). The urgency/soilage subscale (r s −0.7) and the frequency subscale (r s −0.68) of MSK-BFI strongly correlated with LARS-Q. Low correlation was observed between the MSK-BFI diet subscale and LARS-Q (r s −0.39). On multivariate analysis, both questionnaires showed worse bowel function in patients with distal tumours. A low
Scandinavian Journal of Surgery
Background and Aims: Low anterior resection syndrome is common after anterior resection for rectal cancer. Its severity can be tested with the low anterior resection syndrome score. We have translated the low anterior resection syndrome score to Finnish, and the aim of this study is to validate the translation. Materials and Methods: The translated Finnish low anterior resection syndrome score and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality-of-life questionnaire-C30 and QLQ-CR29 questionnaires were sent to 159 surviving patients operated with anterior resection for rectal adenocarcinoma between 2007 and 2014 in a tertiary referral center. Psychometric properties of the translation were evaluated in comparison to quality-of-life scales and in different risk factor groups. Results: In the study, 104 (65%) patients returned the questionnaires. Of these, 56 (54%) had major low anterior resection syndrome, 26 (25%) had minor low anterior resection syndrome, and 22 ...
Frontiers in Surgery
BackgroundThe low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score is a validated questionnaire developed in Denmark to measure the severity of bowel dysfunction after low anterior resection. This retrospective study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the LARS score in the Italian language in a population of Italian patients who underwent low anterior resection for rectal cancer. The convergent and discriminative validity and the test-retest reliability of the score were investigated.MethodsA cohort of two hundred and five patients treated with low anterior resection were enrolled in an Italian high-volume university hospital between January 2000 and April 2018. The Italian version of the LARS score (tested twice), as translated from English original version, a single question on quality of life and the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire were submitted to patients.ResultsA high proportion of patients showed a perfect or moderate fit between the LARS score and QoL categories (convergent validity,...
Clinical Colorectal Cancer, 2014
Very long-term bowel function after total mesorectal excision (TME) with or without preoperative short-course radiotherapy (PRT) for rectal cancer was examined. After > 14 years, almost one half of 242 nonstoma patients reported severe bowel dysfunction (major low anterior resection syndrome [LARS]), which was associated with poorer health-related quality of life. PRT and age £ 75 years at the follow-up point increased the risk of major LARS in addition to TME. Patients should be adequately informed of such long-lasting adverse effects. Background: We investigated very long-term bowel function after total mesorectal excision (TME) with or without preoperative short-course radiotherapy (PRT) for rectal cancer, the risk factors for bowel dysfunction, and the association of bowel dysfunction with health-related quality of life (HRQL). Patients and Methods: In the TME trial (1996)(1997)(1998)(1999), 1530 Dutch patients with rectal cancer were randomized to TME preceded by 5 Â 5 Gy PRT or TME alone. A set of questionnaires was sent to the surviving patients (n ¼ 583) in 2012. The questionnaires included the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Score (LARS score), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Colorectal Module (EORTC QLQ-CR29). The LARS score range was divided into "no LARS," "minor LARS," and "major LARS" categories in ascending severity of bowel dysfunction. The potential risk factors for major LARS were tested on multivariable analysis. The HRQL was compared between the LARS score categories. Results: Of the 478 respondents, 242 nonstoma patients were included in the present analysis. The median interval since treatment was 14.6 years, and the median age at the follow-up point was 75 years. Major LARS was reported by 46% of all patients (56% PRT plus TME vs. 35% TME). PRT (odds ratio [OR], 3.0; 99% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-6.9) and age 75 years at the follow-up point (OR, 2.4; 99% CI, 1.1-5.5) increased the risk of major LARS. Gender, tumor height, anastomotic leakage, type of anastomosis, interval since treatment, and comorbid diabetes were not significant. Patients with major LARS fared worse in many HRQL domains (P < .01; score difference > 5% of score range). Conclusion: A considerable proportion of nonstoma patients endured major LARS years after TME. PRT and age 75 years at follow-up pose further risks of major LARS in addition to surgery. Major LARS is associated with reduced HRQL.
PLOS ONE, 2021
Introduction Low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer affects bowel function after the operation, causing a group of symptoms known as LAR Syndrome (LARS). LARS score is a patient-reported questionnaire to assess bowel dysfunction after the LAR operation. This study performed to validate the Persian (Farsi) translation of the LARS score and to investigate the psychometric properties of the score. The impact of LARS on the Quality of Life (QoL) of patients was also assessed. Materials and methods The LARS score was translated into Persian. Participants with a history of rectal cancer and low anterior resection were asked to complete the LARS score questionnaire. They were also asked a single question evaluating the impact of bowel function on QoL. Discriminative validity, convergent validity, sensitivity, and specificity of the questionnaire were calculated. A group of patients completed the score twice to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. Results From 358 patients w...
Surgical Endoscopy, 2022
Background Total mesorectal excision (TME) represents the “gold standard” of rectal cancer surgery. In locally advanced lesions neoadjuvant treatments (e.g. radiotherapy-nRT, radio chemotherapy-cnRT) have been shown to improve TME oncological results, reducing local recurrences rate. Nevertheless, these treatments have significant functional consequences impacting patients’ quality of life (QoL). The resulting syndrome is known as Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). The purpose of this work was to evaluate the association between risk factors and the development of LARS in a prospective series of laparoscopic sphincter-saving TME. Methods The study was conducted as a retrospective observational epidemiological study of a prospective database, including all patients undergoing laparoscopic anterior resection surgery for rectal cancer at our Unit from 1st January 2013 to 31st May 2018. The diagnosis of LARS was performed using the LARS Score. We classified risk factors in patient-...
Validation of Korean Version of Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Score Questionnaire
Purpose: Patients who undergo radical surgery for rectal cancer often experience low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). Symptoms of this syndrome include frequent bowel movements, gas incontinence, fecal incontinence, fragmentation, and urgency. The aim of this study was to investigate the convergent validity, discriminative validity, and reliability of the Korean version of the LARS score questionnaire. Methods: The English LARS score questionnaire was translated into Korean using the forward-and-back translation method. A total of 146 patients who underwent radical surgery for rectal cancer answered the Korean version of the LARS score questionnaire including an anchor question assessing the impact of bowel function. Participants answered the questionnaire once more after 2 weeks. Results: The Korean LARS score questionnaire showed high convergent validity in terms of high correlation between the LARS score and quality of life (perfect fit 55.5% vs. moderate fit 37.6% vs. no fit 6.8%, respectively; P < 0.001). The LARS score also showed good discriminative validity between groups of patients differing by sex (29 for males vs. 25 for females; P = 0.014), tumor level (29 for ≤8 cm vs. 24 for >8 cm; P = 0.021), and radiotherapy (32 for yes vs. 24 for no; P = 0.001). The LARS score also demonstrated high reliability at test-retest with no difference between scores at the first and second tests (intraclass correlation coefficient: Q1 = 0.932; Q2 = 0.909, Q3 = 0.944, Q4 = 0.931, and Q5 = 0.942; P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The Korean version of the LARS score questionnaire has proven to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring LARS in Korean patients with rectal cancer.
International Journal of Colorectal Disease, 2019
Purpose Treatment of rectal cancer often results in disturbed anorectal function, which can be quantified by the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) score. This study investigates the association of impaired anorectal function as measured with the LARS score with quality of life (QoL) as measured with the EORTC-QLQ-C30 and CR38 questionnaires. Methods All stoma-free patients who had undergone sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer from 2000 to 2014 in our institution were retrieved from a prospective database. They were contacted by mail and asked to return the questionnaires. QoL was evaluated in relation to LARS and further patient-and treatment factors using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results Of the eligible patients (n = 331), 261 (78.8%) responded with a complete LARS score. Mean score for global QoL according to the EORTC-QLQ-C30 questionnaire was 63 ± 21 for all patients. If major LARS was present, mean score decreased to 56 ± 19 in contrast to 67 ± 20 in patients with no/minor LARS (p < 0.001). In regression analysis, major LARS was furthermore associated with reduced physical, role, emotional, cognitive and social functioning as well as impaired body image, more micturition problems and poorer future perspective. It was not related to sexual function. The variance explained by major LARS in the differences of QoL was approximately 10%. Conclusion The presence of major LARS after rectal resection for cancer is negatively associated with global health as well as many other aspects of QoL. Preserving anorectal function and treatment of LARS are potential measures to improve QoL in this patient group.