Table 2.
Summary of tumour staging, and oncological and pathological outcomes for patients undergoing short-course radiotherapy and delay, long-course radiotherapy, or straight to surgery
| SCRT and delay | LCRT | Straight to surgery | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 104) | (n = 158) | (n = 116) | |
| Age (years) | |||
| < 60 | 19 (18.3) | 53 (33.5) | 44 (37.9) |
| 60–80 | 51 (49.0) | 97 (61.4) | 72 (62.1) |
| > 80 | 64 (61.5) | 8 (5.1) | 0 (0) |
| Sex ratio (M : F) | 69 : 35 | 112 : 46 | 78 : 38 |
| ASA fitness grade | |||
| I–II | 76 (73.1) | 127 (80.4) | 100 (86.2) |
| III–IV | 28 (26.9) | 29 (18.4) | 16 (13.8) |
| Primary tumour category | |||
| T0 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| T1 | 0 (0) | 3 (1.9) | 9 (7.8) |
| T2 | 24 (23.1) | 8 (5.1) | 49 (42.2) |
| T3 | 60 (57.7) | 91 (58.0) | 49 (42.2) |
| T4 | 20 (19.2) | 56 (35.4) | 9 (7.8) |
| Primary node category | |||
| N0 | 36 (36.0) | 28 (17.8) | 0 (0) |
| N1 | 40 (40.0) | 69 (43.9) | 8 (6.9) |
| N2 | 24 (24.0) | 60 (38.2) | 0 (0) |
| Primary metastasis category | |||
| M0 | 93 (89.4) | 138 (87.9) | 94 (81.0) |
| M1 | 11 (10.6) | 19 (12.1) | 22 (19.0) |
| Threatened CRM | 48 (46.2) | 121 (77.0) | 22 (19.0) |
| Tumour height (cm) | |||
| Lower (0–6) | 56 (53.8) | 86 (54.4) | 32 (27.6) |
| Mid (7–11) | 35 (33.7) | 58 (36.7) | 61 (52.6) |
| Upper (> 12) | 13 (12.5) | 14 (8.9) | 23 (19.8) |
| Reported surgical complication rate | 7 (6.7) | 40 (25.4) | 28 (24.1) |
| Radiological outcomes if restaged | |||
| Complete clinical response | 15 (4.4) | 10 (6.3) | – |
| T category regression | 36 (34.6) | 41 (25.9) | – |
| N category regression | 22 (21.5) | 46 (29.1) | – |
| T category progression | 5 (4.8) | 6 (3.8) | – |
| N category progression | 4 (3.8) | 6 (3.8) | – |
| M category progression | 4 (3.8) | 14 (8.9) | – |
| Pathological outcomes | |||
| Pathological complete response | 3 (2.9) | 16 (10.1) | – |
| Extramural vascular invasion | 7 (6.7) | 17 (10.8) | 26 (22.4) |
| Lymphovascular invasion | 10 (9.6) | 17 (10.8) | 27 (23.4) |
| Perineural invasion | 6 (5.8) | 13 (8.2) | 12 (10.3) |
| R1 resection | 3 (2.9) | 9 (5.7) | 4 (3.4) |
| Interval from diagnosis to surgery (days)* | 155.5 | 207 | 40 |
| Interval from end of radiotherapy to surgery (days)* | 86 | 105 | – |
| Watch and wait | 23 (22.1) | 19 (12.0) | 0 (0) |
| Best supportive care | 5 (4.8) | 2 (1.3) | 0 (0) |
Values in parentheses are percentages unless indicated otherwise; *values are median. SCRT, short-course radiotherapy; LCRT, long-course radiotherapy; CRM, cirumferential resection margin.