Elsevier

Surgery

Volume 155, Issue 3, March 2014, Pages 468-475
Surgery

Original Communication
Does pathologic response of rectal cancer influence postoperative morbidity after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and total mesorectal excision?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2013.10.020Get rights and content

Background

A pathologic complete response (pCR) can be observed in up to 25% of patients after preoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer and is associated with an improved long-term prognosis. However, few data are available regarding the effect of pCR on postoperative morbidity. This study aimed to assess the impact of the pCR on postoperative outcomes after laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME).

Methods

A prospectively maintained database (2006−2011) was reviewed for all consecutive patients (n = 143) undergoing laparoscopic TME for mid or low rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Postoperative data were compared for pCR-group and non-pCR-group. A pCR was defined as the absence of gross and microscopic tumor in the specimen, irrespective of the nodal status (ypT0).

Results

Thirty-three patients (23%) had a pCR. Median operating time was greatly shorter in the pCR-group (230 minutes, 180−360), compared with the non-pCR-group (240 minutes, 130−420, P = .02). Lymph node involvement was noted for 12% of the patients in the pCR-group and 33% of the patients in the non-pCR-group (P = .91). Clavien Dindo grade 3 and 4 complications (6% vs 22%, P = .04), infection related morbidity (47% vs 76%, P = .04), and clinical anastomotic leakage rates (9% vs 29%, P = .02) were lesser in the pCR group compared with the non-pCR group. Mean duration of hospital stay was lesser in the pCR-group (9 vs 12 days, P = .01).

Conclusion

This study showed that Clavien Dindo grade 3 and 4 complications, including anastomosis leakage, and infection related complications rates were lesser in patients with pathologic complete response after RCT and laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer.

Section snippets

Patient selection

From 2006 to 2011, all consecutive patients (n = 210) who underwent elective rectal resection with total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer were identified from a prospectively maintained colorectal service database at Beaujon Hospital, Paris, France. The rectal cancer was preoperatively staged according to the TNM (ie, tumor, nodes, metastasis) classification with the use of an endorectal ultrasound, abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) scanning, and more recently pelvic magnetic

Results

A total of 143 patients (median age of 61 years [29−84], male to female ratio: 89:54) were included for the analysis. Patients' characteristics are detailed on Table I. The median distance of the lower edge of the rectal tumor from the dentate line was 35 mm (0−85). The majority of the patients were found to have a T3 disease (n = 117, 82%) and a lymph node involvement (n = 110, 77%) on the initial staging investigations. Median CRT-to-surgery time interval was 8 weeks (range, 5−12).

Discussion

This study was designed to assess the potential relationship between the tumor response after neoadjuvant CRT and the postoperative complications. We showed that the rates of severe morbidity (ie, Dindo ≥3), clinical AL, and overall infection-related complications were less for patients in the pCR group compared with the non-pCR group. To our knowledge, very few data are available about the impact of pCR on the postoperative morbidity. This study is first to report a lower risk of laparoscopic

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