Perineural invasion in pT3N0 rectal cancer

BACKGROUND: The authors' purpose was to explore the incidence and prognostic significance of perineural invasion (PNI) in pT3N0 rectal cancer. METHODS: Pathologic materials from resected specimens of 173 patients with pT3N0 rectal cancer were retrospectively collected. PNI‐positivity was categorized into 2 groups: surrounding the nerve sheath (SS‐PNI) and invading through the nerve sheath (TS‐PNI). The rate of PNI‐positivity was compared with...