Table 1. Patient and tumor characteristics.
| Characteristics | No. of patients (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | Median (range) | 55 (30 - 75) |
| Sex Histology |
Male Female Adenocarcinoma Mucinous adenocarcinoma |
68 (58.6) 48 (41.4) 108 (93.1) 8 (6.9) |
| Distance from anal verge (cm) | ≤ 5 cm > 5 cm |
38 (32.8) 78 (67.2) |
| Initial CEA level (ng/ml) | Median (range) ≤ 5 > 5 |
2.9 (1-43) 81 (69.8) 35 (30.2) |
| AJCC stage, 7th ed. | IIIA IIIB IIIC |
12 (10.3) 64 (55.2) 40 (34.5) |
| Pathologic tumor stage | pT2 pT3 |
15 (12.9) 101 (87.1) |
| Pathologic node stage | pN1 pN2 |
76 (65.5) 40 (34.5) |
| Type of surgery | LAR APR |
95 (81.9) 21 (18.1) |
| Resection margin | Positive Negative |
3 (2.6) 113 (97.4) |
| Differentiation | Well-differentiated (G1) Moderately-differentiated (G2) Poorly-differentiated (G3) Not evaluated (GX) |
5 (4.3) 99 (85.3) 3 (2.6) 9 (7.8) |
| Lymphovascular space invasion | No Yes |
85 (73.3) 31 (26.7) |
| Perineural invasion | No Yes |
106 (91.4) 10 (8.6) |
| Postoperative radiation | Median dose Range |
45 Gy 45 – 51 Gy |
| Concurrent chemotherapy | 5-Fluorouracil 5-FU/LV |
103 (88.8) 13 (11.2) |
Abbreviations. CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer; LAR, low anterior resection; APR, abdomino-perineal resection; FU/LV, 5-fluorouracil + leucovorin