Metastases to retroperitoneal or lateral pelvic lymph nodes indicated unfavorable survival and high pelvic recurrence rates in a cohort of 102 patients with low rectal adenocarcinoma Journal of Surgical Oncology, 05/03/2012

Quadros CA et al. – Patients who underwent retroperitoneal and lateral pelvic lymphadenectomy (RLPL) had acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. Metastases to RLPNs indicated unfavorable survival and considerable pelvic recurrence rates.

• All outcomes were evaluated among a cohort of 102 rectal adenocarcinoma patients subjected to TME plus RLPL with a nerve–preserving technique.
• Chemoradiotherapy was delivered in patients with T3/T4 tumors or metastases to mesorectal nodes or RLPNs.

• Surgical mortality was 3.9%; surgical morbidity was 33.3%. Incidence of RLPN metastases was 17%.
• Pelvic recurrence was 14.5% in pT3/pT4 patients and 29.4% in patients with metastases to RLPNs.
• Survival at 50 months was 28.6% in patients with RLPN metastases versus 84.5% in patients without RLPN metastases (P<0.0001).
• Survival at 50 months was 33.3% in TME stage II patients with RLPN metastases versus 97.1% in TME stage II patients without RLPN metastases (P<0.0001), and 21.9% in TME stage III patients with RLPN metastases versus 68.9% in TME stage III patients without RLPN metastases (P=0.0237).