Identification of multiple risk factors for colorectal cancer relapse after laparoscopic radical resection

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common life-threatening disease that often requires surgical intervention, such as laparoscopic radical resection. However, despite successful surgeries, some patients experience disease relapse. Identifying the risk factors for CRC relapse can help guide clinical interventions and improve patient outcomes. AIM: To determine the risk factors that may lead to CRC relapse after laparoscopic radical resection. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis using the baseline data of 140 patients with CRC admitted to our hospital between January 2018 and January 2020. All included participants were followed up until death or for 3 years. The baseline data and laboratory indicators were compared between the patients who experienced relapse and those who did not experienced relapse. RESULTS: Among the 140 patients with CRC, 30 experienced relapse within 3 years after laparoscopic radical resection and 110 did not experience relapse. The relapse group had a higher frequency of rectal tumors with low differentiation and lymphatic vessel invasion than that of the non-relapse group. The expression of serum markers and the prognostic nutritional index were lower, whereas the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, expression of cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and Chitinase-3-like protein 1 were significantly higher in the relapse group than those in the non-relapse group. The groups did not differ significantly based on other parameters. Logistic regression analysis revealed that all the above significantly altered factors were independent risk factors for CRC relapse. CONCLUSION: We identified multiple risk factors for CRC relapse following surgery, which can be considered for the clinical monitoring of patients to reduce disease recurrence and improve patient survival.