Table 1.
Clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes stratified by neoadjuvant treatment (values in either median ± SD or no. (%) unless otherwise stated)
| Variable | Category | Total (N = 257) | Upfront surgery (N = 163) | NACRT group (N = 94) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at diagnosis (years) | 66 ± 11 | 67 ± 11 | 64 ± 10 | 0.132 | |
| Gender | Male | 174 (68) | 106 (65) | 68 (72) | 0.227 |
| Female | 83 (32) | 57 (35) | 26 (28) | ||
| Distance from anal verge (centimetres) | 6 ± 3 | 7.0 ± 3.4 | 5.5 ± 2.4 | < 0.001 | |
| Type of operation | Ultra-low anterior resection | 32 (12) | 16 (10) | 16 (13) | 0.001 |
| Low anterior resection | 168 (65) | 117 (72) | 51 (65) | ||
| Hartmann’s procedure | 19 (8) | 15 (9) | 4 (7) | ||
| Abdominoperineal resection | 38 (15) | 15 (9) | 23 (15) | ||
| Lymph node harvest | 17 ± 11 | 23 ± 13 | 14 ± 6.7 | < 0.001 | |
| Lymph node harvest | < 12 | 53 (21) | 17 (10) | 36 (38) | 0.002 |
| ≥ 12 | 204 (79) | 146 (90) | 58 (62) | ||
| Post-operative complications | None | 225 (88) | 140 (86) | 85 (88) | 0.729 |
| Clavien-Dindo 1 and 2 | 27 (11) | 19 (11) | 8 (10) | ||
| Clavien-Dindo 3 and above | 5 (1) | 4 (3) | 1 (2) | ||
| Length of stay (days) | 9 ± 8 | 10 ± 8 | 8 ± 8 | 0.190 | |
| 30-day mortality | Yes | 255 (99) | 2 (1) | 0 (0) | 0.281 |
| No | 2 (1) | 161 (99) | 94 (100) | ||
| Recurrence | Yes | 60 (23) | 40 (25) | 20 (21) | 0.551 |
| No | 197 (77) | 123 (75) | 74 (79) | ||
| Disease-free survival (months) | 66 ± 41 | 62 ± 40 | 73 ± 42 | 0.067 | |
| Mortality | Yes | 90 (35) | 60 (37) | 30 (32) | 0.428 |
| No | 167 (65) | 103 (63) | 64 (68) | ||
| Overall survival (months) | 71 ± 38 | 68 ± 38 | 77 ± 39 | 0.059 | |
NACRT neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy