Adverse impact of tumor deposits in lymph node negative rectal cancer — a national cohort study

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic effect of tumor deposits (TDs) in lymph node negative rectal cancer. METHODS: Patients who had undergone surgery for rectal cancer with curative intention between 2011 and 2014 were extracted from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry. Patients with positive lymph nodes, undisclosed TD status, stage IV disease, non-radical resections, or any outcome (local recurrence (LR), distant metastasis (DM) or mortality) within 90 days after surgery were excluded. TDs status was based on histopathological reports. Cox-regression analyses were used to examine the prognostic impact of TDs on LR, DM, and overall survival (OS) in lymph node–negative rectal cancer. RESULTS: A total of 5455 patients were assessed for inclusion of which 2667 patients were analyzed, with TDs present in 158 patients. TD-positive patients had a lower 5-year DM-free survival (72.8%, p < 0.0001) and 5-year overall survival (75.9%, p = 0.016), but not 5-year LR-free survival (97.6%) compared to TD-negative patients (90.2%, 83.1% and 95.6%, respectively). In multivariable regression analysis, TDs increased the risk of DM [HR 4.06, 95% CI 2.72–6.06, p < 0.001] and reduced the OS [HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.35–2.48, p < 0.001]. For LR, only univariable regression analysis was performed which showed no increased risk of LR [HR 1.88, 95% CI 0.86–4.11, p = 0.11]. CONCLUSION: TDs are a negative predictor of DM and OS in lymph node–negative rectal cancer and could be taken into consideration when planning adjuvant treatment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00384-023-04365-1.