Prognostic significance of the diameter of superior rectal vein for locally advanced rectal cancer

Aim: To evaluate the association between the diameter of the superior rectal vein (dSRV) and prognosis in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: This study included 420 LARC patients. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression models were used for determining the relationship between superior rectal vein diameter and survival. Results: Patients whose dSRV >3.60 mm had better 3 years disease-free survival (85.50 vs 64.2%, p < 0.001) and overall survival (91.90 vs 82.20%, p = 0.005). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the dSRV was an independent prognostic factor for survival. Conclusion: The dSRV measurement is valuable in predicting the prognosis of patients with LARC, and the prognosis of patients with a smaller dSRV seems to be poor.