Background: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is widely used in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Pathological response to CRT has been shown to be a potential prognostic predictor in rectal cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of pathological response to preoperative CRT in LARC patients.
Methods: Thirty-two patients with LARC were retrospectively analyzed to determine the relationships of pathological response and clinicopathological characteristics to survival outcomes. Patients received CRT with tegafur/uracil and leucovorin. Radiotherapy was administered in fractions of 1.8 Gy/day and 5 days per week. The total dose of radiation delivered was 45 Gy.
Results: All patients underwent total mesorectal excision with lymph node dissections after CRT, and resected specimens were examined pathologically. Four patients showed pathological complete response, 14 showed good response, and 14 showed poor response. Pathological complete or good response was associated with longer survival (P = 0.041). Clinicopathological factors excluding gender were not correlated with outcome. No factor was associated with recurrence.
Conclusion: Pathological response to preoperative CRT may be a useful prognostic predictor in patients with LARC.
Keywords: Pathological response; Preoperative chemoradiotherapy; Rectal cancer.