Background
The practice of salvaging recurrent rectal cancer has evolved. Among patients with locally-recurrent disease, we aimed to define their evolving salvage potential over time, and to identify durable determinants of long-term success.
Methods
In consecutive patients undergoing curative-intent multimodality salvage between 1988–2012, predictors of long-term survival were defined by Cox regression analysis and compared over time. Re-recurrence and subsequent treatments were evaluated.
Results
After multi-disciplinary evaluation of 229 patients, curative-intent salvage therapy included preoperative chemotherapy and/or radiation (74%, with 41% undergoing repeat pelvic irradiation), surgical salvage resection with/without intraoperative radiation (83 patients, 36%), followed by postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (87, 38%). Curative-intent resection involved multi-visceral resection in 47% and bone resection in 30%, leading to a R0 resection rate of 81%. After a median follow-up of 56 months, the 5-year overall survival was 49.8% in 2005–2012, markedly increased from 31.5% in 1988–1997 (p=0.044). Long-term success was associated with R0 resection (p = 0.017) and lack of secondary failure (p=0.003). 125 (55%) patients had re-recurrence at 19 months (median). Repeat operative rescue was feasible in 44% of the patients with local-only and 20% of the patients with distant re-recurrence, and resulted in a median survival of 20 months after re-recurrence.
Conclusions
The long-term salvage potential for recurrent rectal cancer has significantly improved with time, when an individualized treatment algorithm of multimodality treatments and surgical salvage is considered. Durable predictors of long-term success were achieving an R0 resection at salvage operation, avoidance of secondary failure, and feasibility of repeat rescue after re-recurrence.