Table 1. Baseline Characteristics.
| Characteristic | Patients, No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| TNT group A (n = 156) | TNT group B (n = 150) | |
| Age, y | ||
| Mean (SD) | 60 (11) | 62 (10) |
| Median (IQR) | 62 (55-67) | 61 (54-70) |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 106 (68) | 100 (67) |
| Female | 50 (32) | 50 (33) |
| ECOG performance status | ||
| 0 | 118 (76) | 100 (67) |
| 1 | 32 (20) | 48 (32) |
| Missing | 6 (4) | 2 (1) |
| Clinical T categorya | ||
| cT2 | 6 (4) | 4 (3) |
| cT3 | 132 (84) | 118 (78) |
| cT4 | 18 (12) | 27 (18) |
| Missing | 0 | 1 (1) |
| Clinical N categoryb | ||
| cN0 | 16 (10) | 14 (9) |
| cN1-2 | 134 (86) | 135 (90) |
| Missing | 6 (4) | 1 (1) |
| Clinical disease stagec | ||
| Stage II | 16 (10) | 14 (9) |
| Stage III | ||
| cT1-2 N1-2 | 5 (3) | 5 (3) |
| cT3-4 N1-2 | 129 (83) | 130 (87) |
| Missing | 6 (4) | 1 (1) |
| Distance of tumor to mesorectal fascia, mm | ||
| ≤1 | 48 (31) | 33 (22) |
| >1 | 108 (69) | 117 (78) |
| Location from anal verge, cm | ||
| 0-5 | 64 (41) | 62 (41) |
| >5-10 | 67 (43) | 73 (49) |
| >10 | 15 (10) | 11 (7) |
| Missing | 10 (6) | 4 (3) |
| Histology | ||
| Adenocarcinoma | 152 (97) | 143 (96) |
| Mucinous adenocarcinoma | 1 (1) | 5 (3) |
| Signet ring cell carcinoma | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Otherd or missing | 2 (1) | 2 (1) |
| Tumor differentiation | ||
| Well differentiated (grade 1) | 6 (4) | 12 (8) |
| Moderately differentiated (grade 2) | 125 (80) | 113 (76) |
| Poorly differentiated (grade 3) | 11 (7) | 8 (5) |
| Missing data | 14 (9) | 17 (11) |
Abbreviations: ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; TNT, total neoadjuvant therapy.
a
T categories are as follows: cT2, tumor invades the muscularis propria; cT3, tumor invades through the muscularis propria into the pericolorectal tissues; cT4, tumor invades the visceral peritoneum or invades or adheres to adjacent organs or structures.
b
N categories are as follows: cN0, no regional lymph node metastasis; cN1-2, regional lymph node metastases.
c
Stage definitions: stage II, cT3-4b N0; stage III, cT1-2 N1-2 or cT3-4b N1-2.
d
Rare histologies were reported as “other” by the pathologist of the participating institution.