Table 1.
Patient characteristics
| Characteristics | Patients (n=30) |
| Age, years, median (range) | 57 (31–73) |
| Sex, n (%) | |
| Male | 17 (56.7) |
| Female | 13 (43.3) |
| ECOG performance status, n (%) | |
| 0 | 13 (43.3) |
| 1 | 17 (56.7) |
| Clinical T category, n (%) | |
| cT3 | 22 (73.3) |
| cT4 | 8 (26.7) |
| Clinical N category, n (%) | |
| cN0 | 4 (13.3) |
| cN1 | 16 (53.3) |
| cN2 | 10 (33.3) |
| Clinical disease stage, n (%) | |
| Stage II (cT3-4N0) | 4 (13.3) |
| Stage III (cT1-4N1-2) | 26 (86.7) |
| CRM, n (%) | |
| Positive | 21 (70.0) |
| Negative | 9 (30.0) |
| EMVI, n (%) | |
| Positive | 12 (40.0) |
| Negative | 18 (60.0) |
| Distance from primary tumor to anal verge, n (%) | |
| Median (range), cm | 4.7 (1.9–9.0) |
| <5 | 15 (50.0) |
| 5–10 | 15 (50.0) |
| Length of tumor lesion, cm | |
| Mean (SD) | 5.5 (1.7) |
| Median (range) | 5.4 (2.1–10.0) |
| Mismatch repair status, n (%) | |
| dMMR | 1 (3.3) |
| pMMR | 28 (93.3) |
| Unknown | 1 (3.3) |
| PD-L1 expression, CPS, n (%) | |
| Negative | 20 (66.7) |
| Positive (≥1) | 6 (20.0) |
| Unknown | 4 (13.3) |
| Tissue-based TMB (mut/Mb), n (%) | |
| <10 | 7 (23.3) |
| ≥10 | 7 (23.3) |
| Unknown | 16 (53.3) |
| Baseline CEA level, n (%) | |
| Normal (<5 ng/mL) | 17 (56.7) |
| Abnormal (≥5 ng/mL) | 13 (43.3) |
CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; CPS, combined positive score; CRM, circumferential resection margin; dMMR, deficient mismatch repair; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; EMVI, extramural vascular invasion; PD-L1, programmed death ligand 1; pMMR, proficient mismatch repair; TMB, tumor mutation burden.