Long-Term Oncological Outcomes for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients with Pathological Complete Response After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy: A Turkish Oncology Group Study

Abstract

The goal of this study was to look at the long-term survival outcomes and clinical characteristics of stage II/III locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients who acquired pathological complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). The clinicopathological characteristics and treatment details of 277 LARC patients with pCR, relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and locoregional and systemic recurrence rates, were assessed. The 5-year RFS and OS rates were 85.6% and 90.9%. The rates of local and systemic recurrence were 3.6% and 7.9%. Our study confirmed the favorable results in survival in patients with LARC who achieved pCR.