Clinical outcomes for rectal carcinoid tumors according to a new (AJCC 7th edition) TNM staging system: a single institutional analysis of 122 patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe clinical outcomes of rectal carcinoids according to the 7th American Joint Council on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 122 patients who were treated for rectal carcinoids between 1995 and 2010. RESULTS: Among 122 patients, 81.2% (n = 99) were classified as stage I, 4.9% (n = 6) as stage II, 11.5% (n = 14) as stage III, and 2.5% (n = 3) as stage IV. Lymph node (LN) metastasis rates for pT1a, 1b, 2, and 3 stages were 1.2% (1/85), 16.7% (3/18), 0% (0/4) and 84.6% (11/13), respectively. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 88.4%. The 5-year OS rates were estimated to be 100%, 80%, 51.4% and 0% for stage I, II, III, and IV, respectively (P < 0.001). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 82.3%. The 5-year DFS rates were estimated to be 97.7%, 62.5%, 17.1%, and 0% for stages I, II, III, and IV, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Using the new TNM stage, we confirmed a prognostic difference in LN metastasis rates, OS, and DFS for rectal carcinoids. In clinical practice, the new TNM stage can be very useful for predicting prognosis.