Failure patterns correlate with the tumor response after preoperative chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the patterns of failure are correlated with the degree of response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and to evaluate outcomes after recurrence in rectal cancer patients who underwent CRT followed by resection.


METHODS
Response to CRT was evaluated according to tumor regression grade (TRG), with 581 patients categorized into two groups, a good response (GR, TRG 3/4, n = 224) and a poor response (PR, TRG 1/2, n = 357) group.


RESULTS
At a mean follow-up of 61 months, the 5-year overall (88.2% vs. 71.3%, P < 0.001) and disease-free (86.7% vs. 63.6%, P < 0.001) survival rates were higher in the GR group. In patients with recurrence, time to recurrence was shorter (13.5 months vs. 18.7 months, P = 0.01), and the cumulative 2-year recurrence rates (92.9% vs. 73.4%, P = 0.024) was higher in the GR group. Rates of local (1.3% vs. 9.5% P < 0.001) and systemic (11.6% vs. 27.2%, P < 0.001) recurrence were significantly lower in the GR group, as were rates of pulmonary (3.6% vs. 15.1%, P < 0.001) and systemic lymph node (1.3% vs. 5.9%, P = 0.009) recurrences. The 5-year overall survival rates after recurrence were similar (GR: 23.7% vs. PR: 16.0%, P = 0.911).


CONCLUSIONS
More than one-third of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer showed good response to CRT, with improved local and systemic recurrence rates, especially low rates of pulmonary and systemic lymph node recurrence. Recurrence occurred earlier in the GR than the PR group, and oncologic outcomes after recurrence did not differ between the two groups.
Department of Surgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Seok-Byung
SB
Lim
Chang Sik
CS
Yu
Yong Sang
YS
Hong
Tae Won
TW
Kim
Jin-Hong
JH
Park
Jong Hoon
JH
Kim
Jin Cheon
JC
Kim
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017211:Treatment Failure