Clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of rectal cancer patients across different mrT3 substages determined by rectal MRI.

Purpose: Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) staged as mrT3 could be further subdivided into mrT3a to T3d based on depth of tumor invasion through the muscularis propria. Limited evidence exists to compare the differences across subgroups.

Methods: Clinical data from patients between January 2018 and 2022 were collected. The study included patients with mrT3 LARC who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). Based on depth of invasion through muscularis propria, patients were categorized into three groups: mrT3a (< 5 mm), mrT3b (5~10 mm), mrT3c~d group (> 10 mm). The outcomes were disease-free survival (DFS), pathological complete response (pCR), tumor recurrence and metastasis.

Results: A total of 295 patients were identified, including 65 (22.0%) in mrT3a, 155 (52.5%) in mrT3b, and 75 (25.5%) in mrT3c~d group. The tumor vertical diameter was larger in mrT3c/d group (46.3 ± 13.7 mm), compared to mrT3a (39.4 ± 14.3 mm) and mrT3b (39.8 ± 12.1 mm) groups (P < 0.001). The positive rates of mesorectal fascia (61.3% vs. 30.3% vs. 7.7%, P < 0.001) and extramural vascular invasion (62.7% vs. 40.0% vs. 27.7%, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in mrT3c/d group compared to mrT3a and mrT3b groups. The estimated pCR rates were 33.9% for mrT3a, 32.3% for mrT3b, and 21.3% for mrT3c/d group (P = 0.172). The median follow-up time was 43 (29-58) months. The metastasis and local recurrence rates were 8.8% and 2.4%. The 3y-DFS rates were 92.2% for mrT3a, 87.7% for mrT3b, and 86.2% for mrT3c/d (P = 0.549).

Conclusion: Despite mrT3c/d patients presenting with more aggressive baseline features, standardized NCRT followed by radical surgery effectively mitigated survival disparities across mrT3 substages. These findings suggest that mrT3 subclassification may not independently predict long-term survival outcomes when patients receive optimal multimodal therapy.