Commentary to Matsuda et al., Ann Surg Oncol, Sep 18, 2012 [Epub Ahead of Print]

Excerpt

We read with interest the article elucidating an important but possibly neglected topic. Since 2008 there have been three meta-analyses published on rectal washout in rectal cancer surgery with comparable numerical differences between washout and no-washout groups.1 ^– 3 The first meta-analysis was inconclusive, mainly as a result of a lack of statistical power.1 The two meta-analyses published this year are not hampered by this but to 86 and 92 %, respectively, based on one large study, which is debatable from a methodological point of view.4 However, it is interesting to note that the majority of the other included studies show a similar numerical difference, and the separate analysis without the predominant one also shows a statistical significant difference on the outcome measure.2 The main contribution and novelty of the present meta-analysis to the English-language literature is the inclusion of four studies written in Japanese, whereas only one such article has been included in previous recent meta-analyses. …