Objective To summarize recent advances on preoperative staging strategies in rectal cancer. Methods Relevant references about preoperative staging strategies were collected and reviewed. The multimodal preoperative evaluation (MPE) system recently documented was focused on. Results The comparably accurate T and M stage could be achieved preoperatively by following an appropriate available method; however, the N stage’s accuracy was still not satisfying. The MPE system， incorporating with the advantages of transrectal ultrasound， computerized tomography and serum amyloid A protein in a multi-disciplinary mode could display the most accurate preoperative staging for rectal cancer currently. Conclusion The MPE has potential prospects in preoperative staging of rectal cancer， and can provide the most accurate preoperative staging for rectal cancer at present.
Objective To determine the influence of combinative assessment of 64 multi-slice spiral computer tomography (MSCT) and serum amyloid A protein (SAA) on the selection of operative procedures of upper rectal cancer in multi-disciplinary team. Methods Prospectively enrolled 110 patients, who were diagnosed definitely as upper rectal cancer (distance of tumor to the dentate line gt;7 cm) at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from August 2007 to October 2008, randomly assigned into two groups. In one group named MSCT+SAA group, both MSCT and SAA combinative assessment were made for the preoperative evaluation. In another group named MSCT group, only MSCT was made preoperatively. Then, the pooled data were analyzed for the correlative relationship between the choice of surgery strategy and clinicopathologic factors. Furthermore, the preoperative staging and predicted operative procedures were compared with postoperative pathologic staging and practical operative procedures, respectively. Results According to the criteria, 106 patients with upper rectal cancer were randomly assigned into MSCT+SAA group (n=52) and MSCT group (n=54). The baseline characteristics of two groups were statistically identical. When analyzing the proportion of multiple clinicopathologic factors in different operative procedures of upper rectal cancer, there were statistical differences in the preoperative N staging (P=0.003), M staging (P=0.022), TNM staging (P=0.003), serum level of SAA (P=0.005) and general category of tumor (P=0.027). For MSCT+SAA group the accuracies of preoperative staging T, N, M and TNM were 84.6%, 86.5%, 100% and 86.5%, respectively; For MSCT group the corresponding rates were 83.3%, 2.9%, 100% and 64.8%, respectively. There were statistically significant differences accuracies of preoperative N staging and TNM staging (P=0.005, P=0.009, respectively) in two groups. There was a statistically significant difference of the accuracy of prediction to operative procedures in two groups (96.2% vs. 81.5%, P=0.017). Conclusion Combinative assessment of 64 MSCT and SAA could improve the accuracy of preoperative staging, and thus provide higher predictive coincidence rate to operative procedures for surgeon.
Objective To investigate the relationship of serum amyloid A protein (SAA) and surgical choice in low locally advanced rectal cancer (LLARC). Methods Fifty-two patients with LLARC at West China Hospital of Sichuan University were retrospectively analyzed. According to operative methods the patients were divided into 2 groups: curative surgery group (n=35) and palliative surgery group (n=17). Then, venous blood specimens were taken to measure preoperative serum SAA level. Results The analysis showed the option of surgical procedures was associated with preoperative SAA concentration (P=0.004) in LLARC, but irrelative with pathological characteristics and preoperative imaginologic staging (Pgt;0.05). High concentration of serum SAA (≥10.5 mg/L) significantly increased the odds of palliative surgery 〔OR=7.47, 95% CI (1.62-34.40), P＝0.010〕.Conclusion High level of SAA is a useful marker to predict the possibility of palliative surgery in LLARC, which is helpful to screen the patients for the surgical decision and adjuvant therapy.