Healing of Rectal Anastomosis Sealed With a Concentrate Derived From the Patient's Blood, After Rectal Cancer Surgery

Summary

Rectal cancer is one of the most frequent cancer diseases, with more than 1500 new cases per year in Denmark. Fortunately, if the tumor is discovered early, surgeons can remove the part of the intestine that is afflicted, and they can often sew the intestine-ends back together, forming what is known as an anastomosis. However, in 10-15% of cases, this anastomosis doesn't heal completely, leading to anastomotic leakage. This is a serious complication, with detrimental effects for the individual patient. Previous measures to avoid this complication, have proven unsuccessful.

Obsidian is a mixture derived from the patients' own blood, that contains components of blood normally responsible for stopping bleeding and kickstarting the healing process. It is already used in other clinical settings and preliminary, yet unpublished, results from a pilot study have shown its promise in decreasing the risk of anastomotic leakage in rectal anastomosis. However, its use has not been examined when performing surgery for rectal cancer with minimally invasive technique, which is today's standard.

The main clinical hypothesis of this feasibility study is that it is possible for colorectal surgeons to apply Obsidian successfully on the anastomotic area with minimal invasive technique, as a supplement during rectal cancer resection with anastomosis.

This study will be conducted at the Department of Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital. 50 patients will be included, who will undergo minimally invasive rectal cancer surgery with an anastomosis. Right after the onset of anaesthesia, 120 ml of blood will be collected from the patient and will be processed, making a 5-6 ml Obsidian concentrate. When the tumor-bearing part of the rectum has been removed, Obsidian will be applied, according to a pre-specified protocol.

If the application is deemed successful (based on predefined assessment criteria) in at least 90% of our included patients, then this study will serve as a stepping stone for a bigger study, the aim of which will be to assess if this method can indeed bring down the rate of anastomotic leakage in such patients.

Conditions

• Anastomotic Leak Rectum
• Rectal Cancer
• Anastomotic Leakage

Interventions

OTHER

Application of autologous fibrin matrix (Obsidian)

When the patient is anaesthetized, 120 ml venous blood is collected for preparation of the autologous fibrin matrix. The blood is processed in the Vivostat® unit for 30 minutes making a 5-6 ml concentrate ready for application by use of a specific endoscopic kit device. When the rectal cancer resection is completed and the specimen is extracted, the Obsidian will be applied using minimal invasive technique and the endoscopic kit device. Step 1: 1.5-2ml. Obsidian is applied onto the rectal stump, with the circular stapler device inserted into the rectal stump. The circular stapler is then closed, but not yet fired. Step 2: 2.5-3ml Obsidian is applied 360 degrees around the anastomosis, while taking care not to increase tension on the anal intestine end. The circular stapler is then fired and removed. The water-air-leak test is performed according to standard clinical practice. Step 3: The remaining part of the Obsidian is then sealed 360 degrees around the anastomosis.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Danish Cancer Society

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Aarhus

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Lene H Iversen, DMSc, PhD · Department of Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-12-15

Primary Completion

2023-11-08

Completion

2023-11-08

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations