Prognostic significance of circumferential resection margin following total mesorectal excision and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer.

摘要

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of circumferential resection margin (CRM) in rectal cancer patients who underwent curative resection with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). METHODS: We studied 504 patients who underwent total mesorectal excision with adjuvant CRT for rectal cancer between 1997 and 2001. The patients were divided into two groups: a negative CRM group (CRM > 1 mm) and a positive CRM group (CRM