Table 4. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis of prognostic factors for overall survival in patients with visible PALNs.
| Characteristics (N = 409) | Univariate | Multivariate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P value | P value | HR (95% CI) | ||
| Age (years) ≥ 65 | 0.067 | |||
| Male | 0.352 | |||
| Rectal cancer | 0.814 | |||
| Primary tumor | Lymphovascular invasion | <0.001 | 0.015 | 1.865 (1.112–3.082) |
| Perineural invasion | 0.001 | 0.066 | 2.151 (0.951–4.862) | |
| High grade a | 0.033 | 0.374 | 1.293 (0.734–2.277) | |
| Pathologic staging | pT >2 | 0.259 | ||
| pN + | <0.001 | 0.006 | 2.099 (1.231–3.578) | |
| Preoperative serum CEA level ≥10 (ng/mL) | <0.001 | <0.001 | 2.263 (1.470–3.484) | |
| Radiologic finding of PALNs | Short axis ≥10 mm | 0.003 | 0.031 | 1.638 (1.047–2.563) |
| Multiple | 0.642 | |||
| Bilateral | 0.092 | |||
| Treatment | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy | 0.891 | ||
| Neoadjuvant CCRT | 0.469 | |||
| Postoperative chemotherapy | 0.039 | 0.284 | 0.759 (0.458–1.258) | |
aHigh grade represents poorly differentiated histology or mucinous carcinoma.
PALNs, para-aortic lymph nodes; HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; CCRT, concurrent chemoradiotherapy.