Prognostic characteristics and exploratory prediction nomogram for rectal cancer patients with ypT0N+ status after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

Core Tip: Rectal cancer patients with ypT0N+ status after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy demonstrate poor long-term prognosis, exhibiting overall survival comparable to ypT1-2N1 disease and disease-free survival similar to ypT3N0 disease.While our nomogram combining extramural venous invasion and tumor distance from the anal verge provides a novel tool for estimating occult nodal risk, cautious external validation is essential before integrating it into organ preservation decision-making.