Actinic rectitis--the role of colostomy.

From 4132 patients treated with radiation therapy due to gynecological malignancy from 1974 to 1988, 527 (12.75%) developed some grade of actinic rectitis with clinical manifestation. The authors analyzed the efficacy of colostomy in the management of 10 women with actinic rectitis grades I and II (Sherman classification) submitted to clinical treatment without response. Pelvic radiation therapy, clinical findings, proctoscopy and rectal biopsy were the basis for the diagnosis and staging of the actinic rectitis. All colostomies were made in the transverse colon and the median follow up from colostomy to last review was 53 months. Eight patients had complete remission of clinical findings after colostomy, but one had recurrence of symptoms 2 years later. One patient had incomplete remission but with clinical improvement and one patient had tumor recurrence. From 8 patients with complete clinical remission, 2 had the colostomies closed, but in 1 was restored 3 months later due to rectum-vaginal fistula.