Prognostic value of the lymph node ratio in stage III colorectal cancer

The impact of economic crisis, COVID-19, and the Beirut Blast on colorectal cancer patients in Lebanon: A trend to operate more late-stage complex cases

BACKGROUND

The convergence of the economic crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, and Beirut Blast has precipitated unprecedented challenges for the healthcare system in Lebanon, particularly for cancer patients. Amidst these crises, our study evaluates its contribution to a concerning trend of operating on more late-stage and complex colorectal cancer (CRC) cases.

METHODS

We included 155 patients operated for CRC between 2017 and 2023. Patients age; sex; operation type (emergency or elective); tumor size, grade, and location; tumour, node, metastasis stage; lymphatic, vascular and perineural invasions; American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, presentation and previous history, and complications were examined.

RESULTS

Surgical outcomes remained relatively consistent before and after the crisis. However, there was a notable increase, with patients being 3.59 times more likely to undergo resection of adjacent organs in metastatic disease post-crisis. Patient characteristics also exhibited notable shifts, with a 9.60-fold increase in the likelihood of having an ASA score of at least 2 after the crisis. Additionally, there was a 5.36-fold decrease in the odds of patients undergoing a colonoscopy before their diagnostic one post-crisis. Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen levels were significantly elevated post-crisis compared to pre-crisis levels. Pathological findings revealed increased odds of perineural, vascular, and lymphatic invasion post-crisis. Additionally, there was a notable increase in the likelihood of hepatic synchronous metastases post-crisis. Furthermore, a trend to operate on complicated diseases was noted with an increased number of colostomies.

CONCLUSION

The economic crisis in Lebanon has profoundly affected early intervention and comprehensive treatment for CRC patients, resulting in a concerning rise in late-stage cases requiring surgical intervention.

Lymph Node Ratio as a Predictor of Survival for Colon Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Lymph node ratio is the number of lymph nodes with evidence of metastases on pathological review compared to the total number of lymph nodes harvested during oncologic resection. Lymph node ratio is a proven predictor of long-term survival. These data have not been meta-analyzed to determine the prognosis associated with different lymph node ratio cut-offs in colon cancer.

METHODS

Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL were systematically searched. Articles were included if they compared 5-year overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS) between different lymph node ratios for patients undergoing oncologic resection for stages I-III colon cancer. Pairwise meta-analyses using inverse variance random effects were performed.

RESULTS

From 2587 citations, nine studies with 97,631 patients (female: 51.9%, median age: 61.65 years) were included. A lymph node ratio above .1 resulted in a 49% decrease in the odds of 5-year OS (2 studies; OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.49-.53, P < .00001). A lymph node ratio above .25 resulted in a 56% decrease in the odds of 5-year OS (3 studies; OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.43-.45, P < .00001). A lymph node ratio above .5 resulted in a 65% decrease in the odds of 5-year OS (3 studies; OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.33-.37, P < .00001).

CONCLUSIONS

Lymph node ratios from .1 to .5 are effective predictors of 5-year OS for colon cancer. There appears to be an inverse dose-response relationship between lymph node ratio and 5-year OS. Further study is required to determine whether there is an optimal lymph node ratio cut-off for prognostication and whether it can inform which patients may benefit from more aggressive adjuvant therapy and follow-up protocols.

Novel applications of histopathological markers to distinguish prognostic subgroups in colorectal adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To explore the novel applications of histological factors by stratifying the prognostic markers of the overall CRC patients in subgroups.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 17 histopathological and molecular factors were retrospectively collected and systematically analyzed for the prediction of CRC prognosis in the overall and stratified subgroups by using the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis as well as the Cox regression test. The χ2 test was used to analyze the correlation of the prognostic markers with other factors.

RESULTS

The histopathological markers including the lymph node metastasis (LNM), perineural/venous invasion (PVI), TNM stage, the local recurrence or distant metastasis after surgery (R/M) and the molecular markers Ki-67 expression as well as KRAS mutation were identified to be the independent prognostic biomarkers in the overall CRC. The differential prognosis of LNM was found to be significant in age, tumor site, histological classification (histo_classification), cell differentiation, and KRAS/NRAS/BRAF (KNB) mutation stratified subgroups. The PVI was discovered to differently predict survival for patients in age, histo_classification, differentiation, and R/M stratified subgroups. Same as LNM and PVI, TNM was also found to demonstrate differential prognosis in age, tumor site, histo_classification, differentiation, R/M status and KRAS/KNB mutation stratified subgroups. More importantly, R/M was firstly identified not to be terrible for patients in age, histo_classification, LNM, TNM, Ki-67, and KRAS/KNB stratified subgroups. Besides, KRAS mutation was innovatively found to show differential prognosis in age, differentiation, and LNM stratified subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

The stratification analyses of prognostic markers in CRC patients indicate novel applications of the above histopathological and molecular markers in clinic and the findings provide new insights into future investigations of precision pathology.

The number of cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer: a nomogram and recursive partitioning analysis

Objective

The prognostic role of the number of cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) after total mesorectal excision in stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer is unknown. As a result of this, our study was designed to assess the effect of the number of cycles of ACT on the prediction of cancer-specific survival.

Methods

Four hundred patients that were diagnosed as stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer from January 2012 to January 2018 and who had received total mesorectal excision were enrolled in this study. A nomogram incorporating the number of cycles of ACT was also developed in this study. For internal validation, the bootstrap method was used and the consistency index was used to evaluate the accuracy of the model. The patients were stratified into risk groups according to their tumor characteristics by recursive partitioning analysis.

Results

We found that the risk of death was decreased by 26% (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61–0.89, P = 0.0016) with each increasing ACT cycle. The N stage, positive lymph node ratio (PLNR), carcinoembryonic antigen, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and the number of cycles of ACT were chosen and entered into the nomogram model. Recursive partitioning analysis-based risk stratification revealed a significant difference in the prognosis in rectal cancer patients with high-risk, intermediate-risk, and low-risk (3-year cancer-specific survival: 0.246 vs. 0.795 vs. 0.968, P < 0.0001). Seven or more cycles of ACT yielded better survival in patients with PLNR ≥ 0.28 but not in patients with PLNR < 0.28.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the nomogram prognosis model based on the number of cycles of ACT predicted individual prognosis in rectal cancer patients who had undergone total mesorectal excision. These findings further showed that in patients with PLNR ≥ 0.28, no fewer than 7 cycles of ACT are needed to significantly reduce the patient’s risk of death.

Prognostic Value of Lymph Node Ratio in Patients with Resected Synchronous Colorectal Liver Metastases and Less Than 12 Examined Lymph Nodes

BACKGROUND

Recent studies suggest that lymph node ratio (LNR) has significantly better prognostic power than N-status in patients with colorectal cancer, in particular when the number of evaluated lymph nodes (LNs) was insufficient. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of LNR in patients with resected synchronous colorectal liver metastases (SCLMs) and less than 12 examined LNs.

METHODS

A prospectively maintained database of patients with resected SCLMs was queried for patients with less than 12 LNs evaluated at the time of surgery. X-tile software was used to determine the LNR cutoff value able to divide the patients in two subgroups with distinct prognosis. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were compared by log-rank test. A multivariate Cox regression analysis identified independent prognostic factors.

RESULTS

A cutoff LNR value of 0.22 divided patients into Low-LNR group (35 patients) and High-LNR group (36 patients). Both OS and DFS rates were significantly higher in Low-LNR group than those in High-LNR group. Independent predictors of poor OS were High-LNR (HR: 2.841, 95% CI: 1.480-5.453, p value = 0.002), bilobar SCLMs (HR: 2.253, 95% CI: 1.144-4.437, p value = 0.019) and lack of adjuvant chemotherapy (HR: 2.702, 95% CI: 1.448-5.043, p value = 0.002), while the only independent predictor of poor DFS was High-LNR (HR: 2.531, 95% CI: 1.259-5.090, p value = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

LNR > 0.22 was independently associated with poor OS and DFS in patients with resected SCLMs and less than 12 evaluated LNs.

Pathological Features and Prognostication in Colorectal Cancer

The prognostication of colorectal cancer (CRC) has traditionally relied on staging as defined by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging classifications. However, clinically, there appears to be differences in survival patterns independent of stage, suggesting a complex interaction of stage, pathological features, and biomarkers playing a role in guiding prognosis, risk stratification, and guiding neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies. Histological features such as tumour budding, perineural invasion, apical lymph node involvement, lymph node yield, lymph node ratio, and molecular features such as MSI, KRAS, BRAF, and CDX2 may assist in prognostication and optimising adjuvant treatment. This study provides a comprehensive review of the pathological features and biomarkers that are important in the prognostication and treatment of CRC. We review the importance of pathological features and biomarkers that may be important in colorectal cancer based on the current evidence in the literature.

Metastatic lymph node ratio as a better prognostic tool than the TNM system in colorectal cancer

Background: The minimum number of lymph nodes that should be evaluated in colon cancer to adequately categorize lymph node status is still controversial. The lymph node ratio (LNR) may be a better prognostic indicator. Materials & methods: We studied 1065 patients treated from 1 January 2000 to 31 August 2012. Results: Significant differences in survival were detected according to regional lymph nodes (pN) (p < 0.001) and LNR (p < 0.001). LRN and pN are independent prognostic factors. Spearman correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between the total number of dissected lymph nodes and pN (rs = 0.167; p < 0.001), but the total number of dissected lymph nodes is not significantly correlated with LNR (rs = -0.019; p = 0.550). Interpretation: In this study, LNR seems to demonstrate a superior prognostic value compared with the pN categories, in part due to its greater independence regarding the extent of lymphadenectomy.

Lymph Node Ratio and Liver Metachronous Metastases in Colorectal Cancer

The authors seek to assess whether the lymph node ratio (LNR) could predict the risk of metachronous liver metastases. Using the goal of sampling 12 lymph nodes for a proper staging of colorectal cancer is often “uncommon,” and the LNR is what allows for a better prognosis selection of patients. A homogeneous group of 280 patients, followed up for at least 5 years, was evaluated. To highlight the groups with the highest risk of metachronous liver metastases, patients were divided into 4 quartiles groups in relation to the LNR. The number of lymph nodes sampled in group “Stage I” was significantly lower. Even if statistical significance between the global LNR and the development of liver metastases has not been reached, the subdivision into quartiles has made it possible to highlight that in the more advanced ratio groups, a higher incidence of metachronous liver metastases (P &lt; 0.028) was registered and was a different distribution of patients with or without liver metastasis in function of quartiles (P = 0.01). The LNR has enabled us to prognosticate patients who are at greater risk of developing metachronous liver metastases. The lower lymph node sampling in the patients with less advanced staging (I) and in patients with node-negative cancer (I + II) who developed liver metastases, leads us to believe that some patients have been understaged. We believe that the LNR, especially in cases of adequate lymph node sampling, is a useful gauge to better substratify “node-positive” patients.

Lymph Node Ratio Can Better Predict Prognosis than Absolute Number of Positive Lymph Nodes in Operable Cervical Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Nodal status is the most important prognostic factor in cervical cancer. However, further risk stratification in node positive cervical cancer patients is warranted for optimal therapeutic decisions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Nodal positive patients (n = 86) were retrospectively stratified into two groups according to either number of positive nodes (>3 vs. 1-3) or lymph node ratio (LNR) (≥10 vs. <10% and >6.6 vs. ≤6.6%). Univariable log-rank tests and both univariable and adjusted multivariable Cox regression models were used to evaluate the association between number of positive nodes or LNR and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

LNR was significantly associated with worse DFS in adjusted multivariable analysis, both when categorized as ≥10 versus <10% (HR 2.25, 95% CI 1.06-4.76, p = 0.034) and when categorized as >6.6 versus ≤6.6% (HR 2.79, 95% CI 1.23-6.37, p = 0.015). However, we found no significant association between number of positive nodes or LNR and OS.

DISCUSSION

In operable node-positive cervical cancer, both number of positive lymph nodes and LNR can be used for further risk stratification with regard to DFS but not OS.

Adenocarcinoma with mixed subtypes is a rare but aggressive histologic subtype in colorectal cancer

Background

Although numerous studies have investigated the clinicopathologic and prognostic relevance of mucinous adenocarcinoma (MAC) and signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) compared with classic adenocarcinoma (CA), little is known about the prognosis of adenocarcinoma with mixed subtypes (AM) and the differences among these four subtypes.

Methods

The statistics of colorectal cancer registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were retrieved and analyzed. We also compared the clinicopathologic and prognostic relevance between CA, SRCC, MAC, and AM.

Results

The frequencies of these four subtypes were 69.9% (CA, n = 15,812), 25.1% (MAC, n = 5689), 3.6% (SRCC, n = 814) and 1.4% (AM, n = 321), respectively. All of MAC, SRCC, and AM were significantly related with aggressive features. Only SRCC and AM were identified as independent poor prognostic markers for overall survival by multivariate analysis. The aggressiveness of AM was between MAC and SRCC according to the clinicopathologic associations. The prognosis of AM was significantly worse than MAC but comparable with SRCC.

Conclusions

We confirmed the clinicopathologic relevance with aggressive features of MAC and SRCC, as well as poor prognostic relevance of SRCC by analyzing a large study population data set. Furthermore, we identified AM as a rare but aggressive histologic subtype in colorectal cancer, to which particular attention should be given in clinical practice.

Lymph node ratio as a valuable prognostic factor for patients with colorectal liver-only metastasis undergoing curative resection

Background

Recent studies have suggested that the lymph node ratio (LNR) is a prognostic indicator for various malignancies. However, LNR has not been evaluated in colorectal liver-only metastasis (CRLM). This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of LNR in patients with CRLM after curative resection.

Patients and methods

We retrospectively investigated the clinicopathologic features of 154 CRLM patients who underwent curative resection between 2005 and 2015. We classified patients into low and high groups based on their LNR by using the X-tile software. Survival curves were plotted through Kaplan–Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

The patients were divided into two groups in which 124 patients were identified as LNR ≤0.33 and 30 patients as LNR >0.33. Compared to low LNR, high LNR was significantly associated with poor 3-year RFS (47.2% vs 16.7%, P=0.001) and OS (72.8% vs 45.3%, P=0.003) rates. Multivariate analysis indicated that the LNR was an independent predictor for 3-year RFS (hazard ratio, 2.124; 95% CI, 1.339–3.368; P=0.001) and OS (HR, 2.287; 95% CI, 1.282–4.079; P=0.005). However, the node (N) stage and lymph node distribution were not significantly associated with the 3-year RFS (P=0.071, P=0.226) or OS (P=0.452, P=0.791) in patients with CRLM.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that LNR was an independent predictor for 3-year RFS and OS in patients with CRLM who underwent curative resection and that its prognostic value was superior to that of N stage and lymph node distribution.

Prognostic role of the lymph node ratio in node positive colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis

The lymph node ratio (LNR) (i.e. the number of metastatic lymph nodes divided by the number of totally resected lymph nodes) has recently emerged as an important prognostic factor in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging system for colorectal cancer does not consider it as a prognostic parameter. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic role of the LNR in node positive CRC. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library for relevant studies up to November 2015. As a result, a total of 75,838 node positive patients in 33 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Higher LNR was significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.71–2.14; P = 0.0000) and disease free survival (DFS) (HR = 2.75; 95% CI: 2.14–3.53; P = 0.0000). Subgroup analysis showed similar results. Based on these results, LNR was an independent predictor of survival in colorectal cancer patients and should be considered as a parameter in future oncologic staging systems.

Stage Association of Preoperative Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen with Gastric Adenocarcinoma in Iranian Patients

Background:

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality and the fourth most common cancer globally. Tumor markers are needed for appropriate management and monitoring of treatment to improve quality of life. Recently, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has been widely used as a tumor marker in the diagnosis and follow-up of some malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of CEA detection in the course of disease in gastric cancer patients at different stages.

Methods:

Seventy six cases of gastric adenocarcinoma from the Rasht Razi Hospital were studied between January 2016 and December 2016, along with a control group of 152 people. Serum CEA was measured by ELISA reader. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 14.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA). The two groups were also compared by cross-table analysis using Pearson’s chi-square test, with P-values <0.05 considered significant.

Results:

CEA was positive in 61.8 % of patients versus 2.6% of the control group (P = 0.0001). Some 21% of patients at stages I and II (initial disease) and 40.8% at stages III and IV (advanced disease) demonstrated positive CEA. which was significantly correlated with higher N stage and poor differentiation.

Conclusions:

Our study showed that a high preoperative CEA level was not prevalent in early stage gastric cancer patients. We recommend to design other prospective studies and meta-analyses for elucidation of claims for diagnostic efficacy.

Does the extent of lymphadenectomy, number of lymph nodes, positive lymph node ratio and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio impact surgical outcome of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma?

BACKGROUND

Lymph node (LN) status is an important predictor of survival following resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHCCA). Controversies still exist with regard to the prognostic value of optimum extent of lymphadenectomy, total number of nodes removed, LN ratio (LNR) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) following PHCCA resection.

METHODS

From 1994 to 2010, 84 PHCCAs were resected; 78 are included in this analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were studied using log-rank statistics to assess which variables affected OS and DFS. The variables that showed statistical significance (P<0.05) on Kaplan-Meier univariate analysis were subjected to multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

Five-year OS for node-positive status (n=45) was 10%, whereas node-negative (n=33) OS was 41% (P<0.001). Similarly, 5-year DFS was worse in the node-positive group (8%) than in the node-negative group (36%, P=0.001). There was no difference in 5-year OS (31 vs. 12%, P=0.135) and DFS (22 vs. 16%, P=0.518) between those with regional lymphadenectomy and those who underwent regional plus para-aortic lymphadenectomy, respectively. On univariate analysis, patients with 20 or more LNs removed had worse 5-year OS (0%) when compared with those with less than 20 LNs removed (29%, P=0.047). Moderate/poor tumour differentiation, distant metastasis and LN involvement were independent predictors of OS. Positive LNR had no effect on OS. Vascular invasion and an LNR of at least 0.37 were independent predictors of DFS. NLR had no effect on OS and DFS.

CONCLUSION

Extended lymphadenectomy patients (≥20 LNs) had worse OS when compared with those with more limited (<20 LNs) resection. An LNR of at least 0.37 is an independent predictor of DFS.

A prognostic classifier consisting of 17 circulating cytokines is a novel predictor of overall survival for metastatic colorectal cancer patients

We aimed to determine the prognostic values of 39 circulating cytokines in Chinese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) and to develop a novel cytokine-based prognostic classifier (CBPC) for prognostic prediction. A total of 176 patients were divided into two cohorts based on the date of first-line chemotherapy. The first 99 cases were assigned to the training cohort, and the remaining 77 cases were assigned to the validation cohort. Thirty-nine cytokines were simultaneously analyzed in the patient serum samples using multiplex bead-based Luminex technology. We used support vector machine-based methods and Cox proportional hazards models to develop a CBPC from the training cohort, which we then validated using the second patient cohort. Univariate analysis showed that FGF-2, TGFα, Flt-3L, GM-CSF, INFα2, GRO, IL-10, MCP-3, MDC, sIL-2Rα, IL-2, IL-7, IL-8, MCP-1, MIP-1β, TNFα and VEGF were significant risk factors affecting the overall survival (OS) of both the training cohort and the validation cohort. We developed a CBPC to predict the OS of metastatic CRC patients using these 17 cytokines (sensitivity, 0.835; specificity, 0.800). In the validation cohort, the CBPC was found to have significant power in predicting the OS of metastatic CRC patients. Our study showed that there were significant associations between cytokine expression and prognosis of the patients with metastatic CRC. The CBPC that we developed includes multiple circulating cytokines and may serve as a novel screening tool for identifying metastatic CRC patients with a high risk of short OS. These high-risk individuals may also be suitable for cytokine-targeted therapies.

The role and prognostic impact of lymph node ratio on stage III colorectal cancer

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of the lymph node ratio (LNR) in patients with stage III colorectal cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included 35 stage III colorectal cancer patients who underwent a curative resection at the County Clinic Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, 5(th) Surgical Clinic between January 2006-July2008. Patients were categorized into LNR groups 1 to 5 according to cut-off points: <0.1; 0.21; 0.36; 0.6; >0.61. The Kaplan-Meier and the Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the prognostic effect according to the LNR.

RESULTS

From one hundred forty-eight patients who underwent colorectal cancer resection, 33.1 % were stage III and 35 patients met the study inclusion criteria. The five-year survival rate in N1 group was 64.62% compared to the N2 group, where it was 8.57% (p<0.001) The lymph node ratio (LNR) groups consisted of 5 cases (14.2%) in LNR1 group (<0.1), five-year survival rate 100%, 6 cases (17.14%) in LNR2 group (0.11-0.21), five-year survival rate 83.33%, 8 cases (22.8%) in LNR3 group (0.22-0.36), five-year survival rate 37.5%, 12 cases (34.28%) in LNR4 group (0.37-0.60), survival rate 0%, and LNR5 group (>0.6). The relationship between the five-year survival rates in the five LNR groups results in a statistically significant proportionality (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Lymph node ratio can be considered a more accurate and potent modality for prognosis in stage III colorectal cancer and may improve stratification in this heterogenous group of patients.

Normal carcinoembryonic antigen indicates benefit from perioperative chemotherapy to gastric carcinoma patients

AIM: To evaluate pretreatment serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a predictor of survival for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer receiving perioperative chemotherapy.

METHODS: We retrospectively studied a cohort of 228 gastric cancer patients who underwent D2 gastrectomy combined with chemotherapy at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2005 and December 2009. Among them, 168 patients received 6-12 cycles of oxaliplatin-based adjuvant (post-operative) chemotherapy, while 60 received perioperative chemotherapy (2 cycles of FOLFOX6 or XELOX before surgery and 4-10 cycles after surgery). Serum CEA was measured using an enzyme immunoassay. The follow-up lasted until December 2010.

RESULTS: In the group that had elevated serum CEA, the difference in survival time between patients receiving perioperative chemotherapy and those receiving adjuvant chemotherapy had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). However, in the group that had normal serum CEA, patients receiving perioperative chemotherapy had a longer survival time. In multivariate analysis, T staging and lymph node metastatic rate were independent prognostic factors for the patients. Perioperative chemotherapy improved the overall survival of patients who had a normal pretreatment CEA level (P = 0.070).

CONCLUSION: Normal pretreatment serum CEA is a predictor of survival for patients receiving perioperative chemotherapy.