OBJECTIVETo investigate the characteristics of lymph node metastasis and prognosis of T1/T2 rectal carcinoma.

METHODSThe clinical data of 241 patients with T1 or T2 rectal carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. The factors relative to lymph node metastasis were analyzed using Chi-square test. The survival data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. The factors influencing survival were analyzed using univariate (Long-rank) and multivariate (Cox model) methods.

RESULTSOf the 241 patients, 132 received Mile's operation and 109 underwent sphincter preserving operation. The over-all lymph node metastasis rate was 22.0% (53/241). The lymph node metastasis was significantly correlated with histological differentiation as revealed by Chi-square test. The over-all 5-year survival rate for the whole series group was 91.5%. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor histological type, intramural infiltration, differentiation, lymph node metastasis, radiation therapy were significant predictors of survival; however, only intramural infiltration was the most important prognostic predictor by multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONEven though lymph node metastasis can be observed either in T1 or T2 rectal carcinoma, histological differentiation is significantly related to the lymph node metastasis. As radical resection achieve better survival than local resection, it should be suggested as the chief treatment for T1/T2 rectal carcinoma.