Oncological Outcomes and Risk Factors for Local Recurrence and Distant Metastasis After Upfront Surgery in cT3 Rectal Cancer With an Uninvolved Circumferential Resection Margin on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Key Points

• The study aims to explore oncological outcomes and risk factors for local recurrence and distant metastasis following surgery in cT3 rectal cancer.
• Assess surgical outcomes in low-risk cT3 rectal cancer patients
• Analyze associations between mesorectal violation and cancer recurrence
• Evaluate the role of tumor biology in distant metastasis
• Favorable surgical outcomes were noted in selected low-risk patients
• Mesorectal violation was linked to an increased risk of local recurrence
• Distant metastasis was primarily influenced by tumor biology markers such as CEA and pN