Table 2.
Participant and treatment characteristics
| Early closure (n = 42) | Late closure (n = 40) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) * | ||
| At index surgery | 67 (53–71) | 68 (63–73) |
| At follow‐up (years)* | 71 (58–76) | 72 (67–77) |
| Sex ratio (F : M) | 22 : 20 | 12 : 28¶ |
| BMI (kg/m2) * | 24 (23–27) | 24 (22–26) |
| Co‐morbidity † | ||
| Ischaemic heart disease | 5 | 6 |
| Hypertension | 14 | 7 |
| COPD | 2 | 1 |
| Renal disease | 0 | 0 |
| Other‡ | 5 | 1 |
| Smoker | 4 | 2 |
| Clinical stage (UICC) § | ||
| I | 11 | 12 |
| II | 18 | 10 |
| III | 11 | 13 |
| IV | 1 | 1 |
| Tumour height (cm from anal verge) | ||
| 5–9 | 23 | 16 |
| 10–15 | 18 | 24 |
| ≥ 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Radiotherapy | 11 | 10 |
| Short course | 9 | 7 |
| Long course | 2 | 3 |
| Adjuvant chemotherapy | 13 | 18 |
| Duration of ileostomy (days) * | 11 (10–14) | 150 (100–251) |
| Duration of follow‐up (months) * | ||
| From index surgery | 52 (44–59) | 49 (43–58) |
| From stoma closure | 52 (44–59) | 44 (35–53) |
*
Values are median (i.q.r.).
†
Data missing for two patients in the late closure group.
‡
In early closure group: asthma (1), Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia/non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (1), osteoporosis (1), Sjögren's syndrome (1), thyrotoxicosis (1); in late closure group: hypercholesterolaemia (1).
§
Three patients with late closure had clinical stage T0 N0 M0 disease; data on clinical stage missing for one patient in each group. COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
¶
P = 0·047 (2‐sided Fisher's exact test).