Down-staging depth score to predict outcomes in locally advanced rectal cancer achieving ypI stage after neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy versus de novo stage pI cohort: A propensity score-matched analysis

Objective Prognosis of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) but achieving ypT1–2N0 stage after neoadjuvant concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) has been shown to be favorable. This study aims to determine whether the long-term outcome of ypT1–2N0 cases can be comparable to that of pT1–2N0 cohort that received definitive surgery for early disease.