Survival of patients with T3 stage III rectal cancer is significantly worse than T2 stage III rectal cancer. A new proposal of a subdivision of stage III rectal cancer.
BACKGROUND
The prognosis of T1 plus T2 stage III rectal cancer patients is better than that of T3 stage III rectal cancer patients. However, it is thought that T1 rectal cancer patients have a better prognosis than T2 rectal cancer patients.


OBJECTIVE
This study attempted to clarify the difference of the short- and long-term outcomes in T2 and T3 stage III rectal cancer patients deleting T1 cancer.


METHODS
The study demonstrated the potential predictors of the survival after surgery, the factors associated with T3 and T2, and the recurrence sites in 134 patients with stage III rectal cancer who underwent surgery, including 111 patients with T3 and 23 patients with T2.


RESULTS
The disease-free survival (DFS) of the T3 stage III patients was worse than the T2 stage III patients (5-year DFS rates, 52 vs. 78%; 10-year DFS rates, 43 vs. 78%; p =0.044). The maximum tumor size and operative blood loss were significant tumor characteristics associated with the depth of invasion (p =0.007,p =0.011,respectively). There was no significant difference in the recurrence sites after surgery between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
As a result, a more detailed subdivision for stage III rectal cancer is considered necessary.
Hotta
Tsukasa
T
Second Department of Surgery, Wakayama Medical University, School of Medicine, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama, Japan.
Takifuji
Katsunari
K
Yokoyama
Shozo
S
Matsuda
Kenji
K
Higashiguchi
Takashi
T
Tominaga
Toshiji
T
Oku
Yoshimasa
Y
Nasu
Toru
T
Tamura
Koichi
K
Yamaue
Hiroki
H
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016019:Survival Analysis