Background/Objectives: Psychosocial factors are not routinely screened for during the perioperative period, even though they significantly influence overall health. This study aimed to inventory the psychosocial vulnerabilities among patients undergoing cancer surgery. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a researcher-administered psychosocial screener implemented within a statewide health system between July 2023 and August 2025. A 45 min screener was offered to consecutive adult patients within two weeks before their major elective cancer surgery. Residential addresses were geocoded to assign neighborhood deprivation percentiles for the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Elevated psychosocial vulnerability was determined based on a model-based clustering approach, and a high deprivation index was defined as ≥75th percentile. Results: A total of 383 patients (37% response rate) completed the screener, including colorectal (40%), thoracic (36%), and surgical oncology (24%) patients, with a median age of 66 years (IQR, 57–73). Over half (52.0%, n = 199) reported ≥2 psychological and ≥2 social vulnerabilities. Younger patients (p = 0.021), non-white patients (p < 0.001), patients identifying as non-heterosexual (p = 0.014), without a partner (p < 0.001) or private insurance (p = 0.040), and those with lower household income (p < 0.001) were more likely to report elevated psychosocial vulnerability. Patients with elevated psychosocial vulnerability were more likely to reside in deprived neighborhoods (ADI: 34.0 vs. 29.0, p = 0.035; SVI: 0.35 vs. 0.27, p = 0.005). Conclusions: Patients undergoing major cancer surgery experience substantial psychosocial vulnerabilities, particularly those from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Future work should identify the psychosocial factors most predictive of poor surgical outcomes to guide targeted preoperative interventions.

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a constellation of symptoms consisting of stool or flatus incontinence, urgency, and/or clustering of bowel movements. Up to 80% of patients experience these symptoms after sphincter-sparing surgery for rectal cancer with concomitant decrease in quality of life. Multiple measurement tools have been developed and different treatment options have been explored. The purpose of this review was to evaluate LARS assessment tools, treatment options, and the supporting evidence for these strategies. We performed a literature review related to the evaluation and treatment of LARS, and ongoing clinical trials up to 2024 were reviewed. We found the definition of LARS was recently revised, with current validated diagnostic tools lagging behind this update. First-line treatment includes optimizing bowel habits, dietary changes, and medications. Second-line treatment includes pelvic floor rehabilitation or transanal irrigation. Third-line treatment includes sacral nerve stimulation or posterior tibial nerve stimulation before the discussion of antegrade enemas or permanent stoma creation. In summary, LARS remains a challenging symptomatic disorder to capture and treat effectively. There are opportunities for better standardization of preoperative education, evaluation, and escalation of treatment strategies. Further investigation into psychosocial and patient support adjuncts need to be developed. Continued research will help to refine and develop a clear treatment algorithm.