Clinical Significance of Early Recurrence After Curative Resection of Colorectal Cancer

Background/Aim: Although survival in cases with early recurrence after curative resection of colorectal cancer has been persistently poor, the risk factors for early recurrence remain unknown. Patients and Methods: A total of 1,043 patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer underwent curative resection at Kobe University Hospital between April 2007 and September 2020. Of these, 122 patients developed recurrence: 57 had early recurrence (<1 year after surgery) and 65 patients had late recurrence (>= 1 year after surgery). The clinicopathological features were compared between the groups and the risk factors for early recurrence were analyzed. Results: Overall survival both from the date of recurrence and from the date of surgery were significantly worse in the early recurrence group. The proportion of the patients with >= 100 g of intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusion, and postoperative complications were significantly higher in the early recurrence group. R0 resection was achieved more frequently in the late recurrence group. Multivariate analysis revealed that no adjuvant chemotherapy, elevated preoperative CA19-9, blood transfusion, and the occurrence of the postoperative complication were independent risk factors for early recurrence. Conclusion: Early recurrence after curative resection of colorectal cancer was associated with worse overall survival. Adjuvant chemotherapy might be beneficial for patients with risk factors of early recurrence to improve prognosis.