Aim: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes of primary and post-irradiated early stage rectal cancer and the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy for rectal cancer patients.
Methods: Eighty-four patients with stage I rectal cancer after radical surgery were studied retrospectively and divided into ypstage I group (n = 45) and pstage I group (n = 39), according to their preoperative radiation, and compared by univariate and multivariate analysis.
Results: The median follow-up time of patients was 70 mo. No significant difference was observed in disease progression between the two groups. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 84.4% and 92.3%, respectively (P = 0.327) and the 5-year overall survival rate was 88.9% and 92.3%, respectively, for the two groups (P = 0.692). The disease progression was not significantly associated with the pretreatment clinical stage in ypstage I group. The 5-year disease progression rate was 10.5% and 19.2%, respectively, for the patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy and for those who rejected chemotherapy in the ypstage I group (P = 0.681).
Conclusion: The oncologic outcomes of primary and post-irradiated early stage rectal cancer are similar. Patients with ypstage I rectal cancer may slightly benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
Keywords: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy; Rectal cancer; Total mesorectal excision.