Table 2. Surgical results.

	Group 1 (n=60)	Group 2 (n=67)	Group 3 (n=67)	Group 4 (n=65)	p value
Time from start of chemoradiation to surgery (weeks)	14.2 (4.3)	17.1 (2.9)	21.0 (27)	25.2 (4.0)	0.0001
Time from end of chemoradiation to surgery (weeks)	8.5 (4.2)	11.1 (2.9)	15.4 (2.6)	19.3 (4.2)	0.0001
Sphincter-saving surgery	46 (77%)	50 (75%)	50 (75%)	44 (68%)	0.68
Ileostomy	38/46 (83%)	43/50 (86%)	47/50 (94%)	38/43 (88%)*	0.33
Resection with negative margins	59 (98%)	67 (100%)	64 (96%)	64 (100%)†	0.089
Number of nodes examined	12 (2–31)	14 (2–30)	13 (2–30)	11 (1–47)	020
Pelvic fibrosis‡	24 (17)	3.9 (2.6)	4.4 (2.4)	3.9 (2.4)	0.0001
Technical diffi culty§	4.6 (27)	4.9 (2.8)	5.1 (2.5)	4.8 (2.4)	0.80
Estimated blood loss (mL)	200 (50–1200)	225 (25–1500)	200 (50–1000)	150 (0–1000)	0.62

Data are mean (SD), number (%), n/N (%), or median (range). p values test the null hypothesis of equal means or proportions across study groups.

^*Information on whether an ileostomy was created or not was not available for one patient.

^†Data missing for one patient.

^‡Scale ranges from 1 (none) to 10 (maximum).

^§Scale ranges from 1 (easy) to 10 (difficult).