Prognostic value of pathological risk parameters in predicting postrecurrent survival after salvage radical surgery for locally recurrent rectal cancer

Salvage surgery represents a potentially curative option for patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC). A retrospective study at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China) aimed to determine whether pathological characteristics of the primary tumor, combined with anatomical recurrence patterns, could stratify survival following salvage surgery. Among 199 LRRC patients, the median postrecurrence survival (PRS) was 63.7 months. The presence of pathological riks parameters of the primary tumor (PRPs: tumor deposits, lymphovascular invasion, and perineural invasion) was significantly associaties with noncentral recurrence patterns and reduced PRS. A three-tier classification system demonstrated significant stepwise stratification of both PRS and local-re-recurrence-free survival. Patients with ≥ 2 PRPs with noncentral recurrence had the poorest outcomes. The authors conclude that integration of primary tumor pathological features and recurrence patterns can effectively stratify postoperative outcomes in patients in LRRC undergoing salvage surgery.