Purpose: Following curative resection for rectal cancer, approximately 5 percent of locoregional recurrences occur intraluminally, presumably because of tumor exfoliation during the initial operation. The rate of resectability, subsequent locoregional control, and survival in patients with isolated intraluminal recurrence have not been well studied.
Methods: From 1994 to 2003, nine patients (seven males; median age, 68 years) with isolated intraluminal rectal cancer recurrence were treated for cure at our center.
Results: Initial procedures performed were four high anterior resections and five low anterior resections for tumors having a median distance from the anal verge of 12.5 (range, 7.5-16) cm. Median resected distal margin was 2.5 (range, 1.2-4.0) cm. Original tumor staging was T2 N0 M0 in three, T3 N0 M0 in three, T3 N1 M0 in one, and T3 N2 M0 in two. Median time between primary resection and intraluminal recurrence was 21 (range, 8-53) months. Intraluminal recurrence distal to the anastomosis occurred in three of nine patients and anastomotic recurrence occurred in six of nine patients. Pathologically clear margins were obtained in all patients at the time of curative re-resection. Following re-resection, patients were followed for a mean of 30 (range, 6-59) months. No patient has developed locoregional recurrence to date or to the time of patient death. Six of nine patients are alive and disease-free with a median follow-up of 34.5 (range, 6-59) months. One patient died disease-free at 35 months. One patient died from pulmonary metastases 30 months postoperatively and another patient developed liver metastasis 11 months postoperatively.
Conclusion: Endoscopic surveillance following sphincter-sparing rectal cancer resection is warranted as re-resection for intraluminal recurrence can result in locoregional control and significant disease-free survival.