Tailoring Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer: A Single-center Study of Local Recurrence Patterns

Postoperative local recurrence remains an important issue in rectal cancer, and the optimal treatment strategy, surgical approach, and prognosis after treatment are yet to be addressed.

We reviewed 21 patients who underwent surgical resection at our department for postoperative pelvic local recurrence of rectal cancer between January 2013 and December 2022, and performed a retrospective analysis of outcomes in terms of preoperative treatment and surgical approach.

Of the 21 patients, four (19%) were treated with upfront surgery (Upfront surgery group), 13 (62%) with chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group), and four (19%) with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT; NACRT group). The surgical approach was open laparotomy (Open group) in 10 (47.6%) patients and minimally invasive surgery (MIS, MIS group) in 11 (52.4%). Seventeen (81.0%) had a negative resection margin (RM). Overall median postoperative survival was 71 months and median relapse-free survival was 6.2 months. The most common form of recurrence was pelvic local re-recurrence in seven patients (33.3%). By preoperative treatment type, the RM securement rate was higher in the Chemotherapy and NACRT groups than in the Upfront surgery group, and the postoperative recurrence rate was lowest in the NACRT group. By surgical approach, intraoperative blood loss and incidence of Clavien-Dindo Grade 3 or higher postoperative adverse events were both significantly lower in the MIS group than in the Open group.

Surgical intervention for postoperative recurrence of rectal cancer results in good survival, but short relapse-free survival. NACRT can deter local re-recurrence after resection, and MIS may contribute to reducing complications.