Lay summary
Anastomotic leakage is one of the most dreaded complications following colon cancer surgery. It is associated with longer hospital stays, increased cancer recurrence, and reduced survival rates. Detecting anastomotic leakage early before it manifests clinically has been an ongoing predicament for surgeons. This is usually due to the ambiguous signs and symptoms seen early after surgery, which often mimic other less serious complications. The proposed research aims to define a biomarker profile for anastomotic leak following colonic surgery. While biomarkers have been shown to assist in the early diagnosis of an anastomotic leak, data are limited to small or retrospective studies. By conducting a large multicentre, prospective observational study, this research will measure biomarkers in patients' blood in the peri-operative period, and correlating their trends in predicting anastomotic leakage.This will expedite earlier effective treatment, reducing morbidity and mortality for our patients.