Perineural Invasion in Stage I-III Colon Cancer: Prognostic and Predictive Significance
Perineural invasion is an independent poor prognostic factor in stage III colon cancer but does not predict outcomes in node-negative disease. Adjuvant chemotherapy benefits patients with node-positive but not those with node-negative disease when perineural invasion is present. Higher recurrence odds are seen only in poorly differentiated tumors among perineural invasion-positive tumors. Findings discourage adjuvant chemotherapy use in node-negative colon cancer with perineural invasion due to potential adverse effects.
A Japanese randomized trial found that a 14-day schedule of trifluridine-tipiracil plus bevacizumab keeps patients with metastatic colorectal cancer alive as long as the standard 28-day schedule, with far less toxicity.
Five years after surgery for low rectal cancer, patients operated on robotically did as well as those operated on laparoscopically, according to a randomized trial from three Korean centres.
