The correlation between the status of circumferential resection margin and the prognosis of patients With middle and lower rectal carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To study the relationship between circumferential resection margin status and prognosis of patients with middle and lower rectal cancer.Methods Specimens from 49 patients with middle and lower rectal cancer undergoing total mesorectal excision were studied by the large slice pathologic technique.The local recurrence,metastasis and five-year survival rate were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier Survival analysis.The related clinicopathologic factors were also analyzed.Results The cancer involvement rate of the circumferential resection margins was 24%(12/49).The overall local recurrence rate was 12%(6/49),the distant metastasis and recurrence rate was 27%(13/49),and the five-year survival rate was 67%(33/49).For the 12 patients in which the eircumferential resection margin was tumor positive.the local recurrence rate was 33%compared with 5%in those with negative circumferential resection margin(X2=6.577,P=0.010),distant recurrence was 50%compared with 19%in those with tumor negative margin(X2=4.491,P=0.034).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patient's survival time was statistically correlative with the circumferential resection margin status(log-rank.P=0.009).Five-year survival rate was 33%in patients with positive circumferential resection margin,compared with 78%in those with negative margins.Tumor diameter(X2=4.451,P=0.035),T staging (X2=20.283,P=0.000),N staging(X2=7.773,P=0.018),the distance away from the anocutaneous line(X2=6.502,P=0.04),tumor location(X2=4.421,P=0.035)and operation type(X2=5.754,P=0.016)were significantly correlated with the circumferential resection margin status of the middle and lower rectal cancer.Conclusions The circumferential resection margin status was an important predictor of local and distant recurrence as well as survival of patients with middle and lower rectal carcinoma.and the status is significantly correlated with tumor diameter,T staging,N staging,the distance away from the anocutaneous line,tumor location and operation type. Key words: Rectal neoplasms; Proctocolectomy,restorative; Prognosis