title: Factors influencing prognosis after neo-adjuvant chemoradiation therapy for rectal carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neo-adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRTx) has become a standard therapeutic regimen for rectal carcinoma. This therapeutic option allows more sphincter preserving surgical procedures and seems to improve prognosis in patients with rectal carcinoma. The aim of this study is to analyse factors influencing prognosis in terms of disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) after CRTx.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have reviewed the clinical and morphological data of 39 patients after neo-adjuvant chemoradiation therapy, including immunohistochemistry for p53, cyclin D1, MIB-1 (Ki67) and bcl-2 protein in paraffin-embedded tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our series, 12 patients did not respond to neo-adjuvant therapy, 12 showed a complete response and 15 a partial response. When we analysed the factors influencing DFS we found a significant influence of neural, vascular and lymphatic invasion, pre-operative and postoperative CEA, TNM staging, smoking and histological response to CRXT in the univariate analysis. As for OS, we found a significant influence of TNM staging, histological grade, peritumoral inflammatory reaction and vascular and neural invasion. No multivariate analysis was performed due to the small sample size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our series of patients with rectal carcinoma receiving pre-operative chemoradiation therapy, histopathological response has influenced prognosis.
authors: Department of Surgery, Hospital General of Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Moral
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Fdez-Aceñero
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Cuberes
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Suárez
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents