New tumor regression grade for rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy and radical surgery

In this retrospective study, we defined a new tumor regression grade (NTRG), which we used to evaluate the prognosis of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant therapy and then underwent radical surgery between June 2004 and October 2011. Calculated as the TRG plus a lymph node score, the NTRG was determined for 347 patients: NTRG 0, 46 patients (13.3%); NTRG 1, 63 (18.2%); NTRG 2, 183 (52.7%); NTRG 3, 30 (8.6%); NTRG 4, 25 (7.2%). Among this group, 45 (97.8%) NTRG 0, 56 (88.9%) NTRG 1, 148 (80.9%) NTRG 2, 24 (66.7%) NTRG 3, and 10 (40.0%) NTRG 4 patients experienced 5-year disease-free survival. We also found that NTRG is significantly associated with 5-year local recurrence, distant metastasis and disease-free survival (P = 0.004, 0.007 and 0.039, respectively). The NTRG may thus be an independent prognostic factor for oncologic outcomes in rectal cancer patients after neoadjuvant therapy and radical surgery, but this conclusion must be validated in randomized trials.