Nomograms effectively predict survival and recurrence in rectal cancer patients.

Nomograms developed from a multi-institutional study accurately forecast overall survival and recurrence for treatment-naïve rectal cancer patients post-surgery. Age predicted survival while venous invasion indicated recurrence. The model demonstrated strong discrimination, with Harrell’s c-index values of 0.77 for survival and 0.75 for recurrence in the internal validation cohort. Notably, adjuvant chemotherapy significantly enhanced 5-year survival rates in middle-risk patients but had no effect on low-risk patients, highlighting tailored treatment applications.