Still proliferating CD44+/Ki67+ tumor cells after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy identify rectal cancer patients with poor survival

Distant recurrence, especially liver metastases, occurs in one-third of rectal cancer patients initially treated with curative therapy and is still an unsolved problem. The identification of patients at risk is crucial for enabling individualized treatment.All patients undergoing curative resection for histologically confirmed rectal cancer after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy between January 2001 and December 2015 were included. Sections were...