Factors influencing histopathology-assessed TME quality after low anterior rectal resection: Results of a prospective multicenter observational trial

3547 Background: Total mesorectal excision (TME) has become standard of care in rectal cancer surgery, leading to a massive reduction in local recurrence rate. However, incomplete TME is associated with an increase in local recurrences. To date, there are no reliable data on clinical factors predicting incomplete TME in patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery. We used the data set of the German Quality Assurance in Rectal Cancer Surgery prospective multicenter observational trial to investigate this issue under routine clinical care conditions. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively gathered data set involving >300 German hospitals of all levels of care. Patients undergoing low anterior rectal resection for rectal cancer between 01/01/05 and 12/31/09 were included. Multivariate analysis using a stepwise logistic regression model was performed in order to identify factors predicting suboptimal TME as determined at postoperative histopathology. Risk factors analyzed included age, BMI...