Variation in the Thoroughness of Pathologic Assessment and Response Rates of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancers After Chemoradiation.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Pathologic complete response (pCR) is associated with better prognosis and guides management for patients with advanced rectal cancer. Response rates vary between series for unclear reasons. We examine whether the thoroughness of pathologic assessment explains differences in pCR rates. METHODS:We retrospectively reviewed pathology reports from patients with stage II/III rectal cancer who underwent chemoradiation and resection in a prospective, multicenter trial. We utilized a novel measure for the thoroughness of pathologic assessment by dividing residual tumor size by the number of cassettes evaluated (tumor size to cassette ratio, TSCR), and evaluated whether TSCR is associated with pCR. We validated our findings using a separate cohort. RESULTS:From the trial cohort, 71 of 24

SUBMITTER: Chow OS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6430657 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature