Table 2.
Descriptive baseline characteristics of included patients (n = 72).
| Variable | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Male | 48 (67%) | |
| Female | 24 (33%) | |
| Mean age (IQR*) | 65 (57.5–73.8) | |
| MRI exam | 72 | |
| Clinical MRI assessment | ||
| Mean cancer volume (Mean ± SD) | 21,885 ± 20,539 mm2 | |
| Location | ||
| High | 7 (10%) | |
| Middle | 33 (46%) | |
| Low | 32 (44%) | |
| Craniocaudal extension (Mean ± SD) | 55 ± 22 mm | |
| Distance from IAS (Mean ± SD) | 31 ± 27 mm | |
| Depth of extramural invasion (Mean ± SD) | 7 ± 7 mm | |
| Presence of mesorectal fascia infiltration | 44 (61%) | |
| Presence of EMVI | 50 (69%) | |
| Primary cT stage** | ||
| T1-T2 | 14 (19.4%) | |
| T3 | 55 (76.4%) | |
| T4 | 3 (4.2%) | |
| Primary cN stage** | ||
| N0 | 2 (2.7%) | |
| N1 | 22 (30.6%) | |
| N2 | 48 (66.7%) | |
| Treatment response*** | ||
| MR | 48 (67%) | 34 TRG1 (71%) |
| 14 TRG2 (29%) | ||
| nMR | 24 (33%) | 17 TRG3 (71%) |
| 7 TRG4 (29%) | ||
*IQR Inter-Quartile Range; SD Standard Deviation; IAS Internal Anal Sphincter; EMVI Extramural Vascular Invasion; MR Major Pathological Response; nMR non-Major Pathological Response.
**Assessed with MRI and derived from clinical MRI reports in the hospital’s patient database.
***Assessed according to Mandard Tumor Regression Grade (TRG) system on surgical specimen after neoadjuvant treatment in 69/72 patients. In three patients, a sustained complete clinical response (with repeated negative MRI examinations and endoscopy with or without biopsy) was considered surrogate for a complete response; the follow-up (mean ± SD) was 47 ± 11 months.