title: Prognostic evaluation of perineural invasion in rectal cancer.
abstract: To evaluate whether perineural invasion (PNI) is an important prognostic factor in patients with rectal cancer, we reviewed the records of 373 patients who underwent curative surgery. Thirty-seven patients (9.9%) were identified as having tumors with PNI. The incidence of PNI was significantly increased in lesions categorized as stage III by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) system (20%). There was a significant difference in local recurrence between patients with stage III lesions with PNI and those with stage III lesions without PNI (p < 0.005). Also, patients with PNI of stage III lesions had a significantly lower 8-year survival rate (26.7%, p < 0.001). We conclude that PNI is an important factor influencing the prognosis of patients with stage III disease. PNI should be classified as a subgroup of the clinical stage.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirouzu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Isomoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kakegawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012008:Recurrence; D015996:Survival Rate