The Relationship between Tumor Budding and Tumor Deposits in Patients with Stage III Colorectal Carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Emerging morphological features in colorectal cancer (CRC) are recognized as critical prognostic indicators.
• This study investigates the interrelationship between tumor budding (TB) and tumor deposits (TDs) in stage III CRC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the association between tumor deposits (TDs) and tumor budding (TB) in stage III colorectal cancer.
• To evaluate the prognostic significance of TB and TDs on patient survival.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 90 patients with stage III CRC undergoing radical surgical resection.
• Histopathological review of H&E-stained slides to assess TB grade and presence of TDs.
• Comparison of TB and TDs with clinical and histological features and patient survival.

Main Results:

• A high prevalence of TB (94.4%) was observed in the cohort.
• The presence of TDs was significantly associated with a higher number of TB (OR 16.3) and higher TB grade (OR 11.04).
• Higher TB grade (HR 2.28) and increasing TDs (HR 1.52) were significantly linked to shorter overall survival.

Conclusions:

• Tumor deposits are more frequent in stage III CRC patients with higher tumor budding grades.
• Both advanced tumor budding and a greater number of tumor deposits are significant predictors of reduced overall survival.
• These findings underscore the importance of tumor budding as an adverse prognostic factor in colorectal cancer.