Survival and Prognostic factors in patients with Rectal Squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Background Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the rectum is a rare form of gastrointestinal malignancy. The current knowledge on the natural history is primarily derived from case series. Methods Using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), we determined the prognostic factors and overall survival (OS) outcomes of rectal SCC reported to NCDB between 2004 to 2015. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to perform OS analysis. Propensity matched analysis was undertaken to compare the OS outcomes between rectal and anal SCC. Results Of the 3405 cases included in our analysis, 67% were female. Median age at diagnosis was 61 years and did not differ by sex. In stages I-III, patients who received definitive chemoradiation only (108 months) had a better median OS as compared to surgery alone (76 months) (p=0.012). On multivariate analysis, age Conclusion Outcomes of rectal SCC were dependent upon age, sex, comorbidity score, and therapy received. Chemoradiation alone or in combination with surgery was associated with a better median OS in patients with stages I-III.