THE EFFICACY OF AGENTS EMPLOYED TO PREVENT ANASTOMOTIC RECURRENCE IN COLORECTAL-CARCINOMA

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 66  (3) , 192-194
Abstract
Forty-eight of 72 surgeons canvassed in Southwest England [UK] (67%) routinely use an intraluminal cytotoxic agent to prevent suture-line recurrence following partial resection of the large bowel for cancer. The most popular agents are chlorhexidine-cetrimide preparations (n = 14), mercuric perchloride (12), povidone-iodine (7) and water (12); noxythiolin, sodium hypochlorite and silver nitrate are used occasionally. The mean duration of treatment is 2 min. When assayed for cytoxicity against tumor cells freshly prepared from human colorectal carcinomas (n = 10), both chlorhexidine-cetrimide and povidone-iodine were rapidly lethal at a wide range of concentrations (5-100%). Mercuric perchloride (0.2%) was similarly effective, but up to 20% of tumor cells remained viable after exposure to noxythiolin and nearly 30% with water alone. Chlorhexidine-cetrimide and povidone-iodine are the agents of choice to kill malignant cells exfoliated into the colorectal lumen.