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.

ABSTRACT

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. AIM: 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. CONCLUSION: As a result, a more detailed subdivision for stage III rectal cancer is considered necessary.