Background: Pathological complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant therapy and surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer is associated with improved prognosis. Accurately predicting who will achieve pCR could theoretically eliminate the need for surgery for these patients. We aimed to compare pCR and non-pCR rectal cancer patients following neoadjuvant therapy, searching for clinical predictors for pCR and comparing oncological outcomes between these groups. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent a curative-intent rectal resection between 2010 and 2020 for primary non-metastatic rectal cancer following neoadjuvant therapy. The cohort (263 patients) was divided into two groups according to the pathological results from surgery: the pCR group (53 patients) and the non-pCR group (210 patients). Results: The groups were similar in terms of baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, and staging, but tumors of the pCR group were significantly higher in the rectum (mean distance from the anal verge 7.92 cm versus 6.9 cm respectively, p = 0.04), and more of them were located at the posterior rectal wall (37.7% versus 24.3%, p = 0.049). Multivariate analysis found posterior location and tumor height to be significantly associated with pCR (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.11–4.45, p = 0.023), (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03–1.27, p = 0.015). The 5-year overall survival was 95.6% in the pCR group compared with 87.5% in the non-pCR group (p = 0.09), and the 5-year disease-free survival was 92.7% versus 64.5%, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tumor location at the posterior wall of the rectum and higher tumor location were found to be associated with pCR. Patients achieving pCR demonstrate improved prognosis compared with non-pCR patients.

Background: Our aim was to evaluate the impact of obesity on operative and long-term oncological outcomes following rectal cancer surgery. Methods: Single-center retrospective review of all patients that underwent rectal resection for primary rectal adenocarcinoma between 2010 and2020. Divided into two groups based on preoperative body mass index (BMI): obese—BMI ≥ 30 kg/m², non-obese—BMI < 30 kg/m². Results: Total of 513 patients included 100 in the obese group (mean BMI 33.5 kg/m², range 30–45.6) and 413 in the non-obese group (mean BMI 24.9 kg/m², range 15.6–29.9, p < 0.001). The groups exhibited a similar age distribution (63.94 and 63.23, p = 0.59) or gender distribution (p = 0.83) between the groups. The obese group had higher conversion rates to open approach (22% versus 11.6%, p = 0.007), and longer surgeries (median 300 min, versus 260 min, p = 0.003), but similar overall postoperative complications (73% versus 64.4%, p = 0.1), 30-day readmission (19% versus 17.4%, p = 0.71), harvested lymph nodes (16 versus 14, p = 0.38), incidence of positive resection margins, 5-year overall survival (94.2% versus 88.7%, p = 0.97), and 5-year disease-free survival (70.4% versus 72%, p = 0.59). Conclusions: Obesity did not affect immediate overall surgical outcomes, surgical pathology quality indexes or long-term oncological outcomes.