Table 2.
Operative and postoperative outcomes in patients with LARC following NCRT stratified by NLR.
| Characteristics | NLR < 2.3 (n = 309) | NLR ≥ 2.3 (n = 163) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operative time (min) | 218.6 ± 53.2 | 228.0 ± 53.4 | 0.069 |
| Estimated blood loss (ml) | 91.9 ± 89.9 | 110.8 ± 136.6 | 0.072 |
| Surgery approach (%) | 0.890 | ||
| Laparoscopic | 219 (70.9) | 114 (69.9) | |
| Open | 90 (29.1) | 49 (30.1) | |
| Pathological type (%) | 0.214 | ||
| Ulcering | 296 (95.8) | 161 (98.8) | |
| Expanding | 7 (2.3) | 1 (0.6) | |
| Infiltrating | 6 (1.9) | 1 (0.6) | |
| Histopathology (%) | 0.134 | ||
| Adenocarcinoma | 285 (92.2) | 143 (87.7) | |
| Mucinous or signet ring cell carcinoma | 24 (7.8) | 20 (12.3) | |
| Tumor differentiation (%) | 0.157 | ||
| Well-to-moderately differentiated | 281 (90.9) | 141 (86.5) | |
| Poorly differentiated and others | 28 (9.1) | 22 (13.5) | |
| Postoperative hospital stay (days) | 8.75 ± 4.75 | 8.92 ± 4.58 | 0.709 |
| Postoperative complications (%) | 45 (14.6) | 32 (19.6) | 0.190 |
| During CRT complications*(%) | 132 (42.7) | 62 (38.0) | 0.376 |
| Major | 7 (2.3) | 2 (1.2) | 0.725 |
| Organ preservation (%) | 279 (90.3) | 141 (86.5) | 0.219 |
| Lymph nodes retrieved | 11.87 ± 5.84 | 14.27 ± 8.85 | <0.001 |
| Metastatic lymph nodes | 0.718 ± 2.09 | 1.20 ± 3.55 | 0.063 |
| CRM involvement (%) | 1 (0.3) | 1(0.6) | 1.000 |
| DRM involvement (%) | 1 (0.3) | 0 | 1.000 |
| Tumor size (cm) | 2.48 ± 1.22 | 3.15 ± 1.79 | <0.001 |
| Pathological TNM stage (%) | 0.471 | ||
| 0 | 72 (23.3) | 27 (16.6) | |
| I | 74 (23.9) | 42 (25.8) | |
| II | 81 (26.2) | 42 (25.8) | |
| III | 79 (25.6) | 50 (30.7) | |
| IV | 3 (1.0) | 2 (1.2) | |
| TRG (%) | 0.188 | ||
| 0 | 72 (23.3) | 27 (16.6) | |
| 1 | 100 (32.4) | 51 (31.3) | |
| 2 | 110 (35.6) | 72 (44.2) | |
| 3 | 25 (8.1) | 13 (8.0) | |
| pCR rates (%) | 72 (23.3) | 27 (16.6) | 0.097 |
| Neural invasion (%) | 12 (3.9) | 8 (4.9) | 0.634 |
| Vascular invasion (%) | 12 (3.9) | 2 (1.2) | 0.153 |
LARC: locally advanced rectal cancer; NCRT, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; NLR: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; CRM, circumferential resection margin; DRM, distal resection margin; TRG, tumor regression grade; pCR: pathologic complete response.