Long-term outcomes of 1–2 cm rectal neuroendocrine tumors after local excision or radical resection: A population-based multicenter study

Objectives Studies on rectal neuroendocrine tumors (R-NETs) that are 1–2 cm in size are limited, and the optimal treatment for these tumors is not well established. Methods Data from patients with primary localized R-NETs 1–2 cm in size were retrospectively collected from 17 large-scale referral medical centers in China. Long-term prognosis, quality of life (QOL), and fecal incontinence were evaluated, and the effects of local excision (LE) or radical resection (RR) were elucidated using propensity score matching (PSM). Results A total of 272 patients were included in this study; 233 underwent LE, and the remaining 39 underwent RR. Patients in the LE group showed lower tumor location, fewer postoperative Clavien–Dindo III–V complications, more G1 tumors, and lower tumor stage. There were no significant differences in the relapse-free survival or overall survival (OS) between the LE and RR groups after PSM. Patients in the LE group reported superior physical, role, emotional, social, and cognitive functions, global QOL, and Wexner fecal incontinence scores compared with those in the RR group (all P < 0.050). Eighteen (6.6%) patients had lymph node metastases. Multivariable analysis revealed that tumor location (odds ratio [OR] = 3.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–10.07, P = 0.010), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) > 1.80 (OR = 4.50, 1.46–15.89, P = 0.012), and T3–T4 (OR = 36.31, 95% CI 7.85–208.62, P < 0.001) were independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis. Conclusions R-NETs measuring 1–2 cm generally have a favorable prognosis, and there is no difference in postoperative survival between LE and RR. For patients without lymph node metastasis, LE should be the preferred choice; however, for patients with a higher tumor location, preoperative NLR >1.8 or T3/T4 tumors, RR should be considered.