Using p53-immunostained large specimens to determine the distal intramural spread margin of rectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the distal intramural spread (DIS) margin of rectal cancer.


METHODS
Sixty-one p53-positive specimens of rectal cancer were used. After conventional hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, the DIS margin of rectal cancer in large specimens was examined by immunohistochemistry. The patients were divided into A, B, C, and D groups. After a long-term follow-up, the survival curves of the four groups were estimated using the life table.


RESULTS
Fifty-one of the sixty-one cases (83.6%) had DIS. The extent of DIS ranged 0.11-3.5 cm; meanwhile the mean of DIS measured by H&E staining was 0.13 cm. The significant difference was found between the means (t=5.622, P<0.0001). Only 1 of 51 patients had DIS greater than 3 cm. The DIS was less than 1.0 cm in most rectal cancer patients. The long-term results indicated that the survival rate of the patients whose DIS was greater than 1.0 cm was lower than that of the patients whose DIS was less than 0.5 cm.


CONCLUSIONS
Rectal cancer patients with DIS greater than 1.0 cm have poor prognosis.
Pan
Zhi-Zhong
ZZ
Department of Abdominal Surgery, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, 651 Dongfeng Road, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China. panzhizhong@medmail.com.cn
Wan
De-Sen
DS
Zhang
Chang-Qing
CQ
Shao
Jian-Yong
JY
Li
Li-Ren
LR
Chen
Gong
G
Zhou
Zhi-Wei
ZW
Wang
Fu-Long
FL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis*
D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53