The prognostic value of organ/space surgical site infection in stage I colorectal cancer recurrence

Evidence on risk factors for postoperative recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) confined to pathological stage I is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the risk factors for recurrence in patients with stage I CRC. Data on clinicopathological factors and blood tests of patients diagnosed with pathological stage I CRC at Hiroshima University Hospital between April 1, 2010, and December 31, 2018, were retrospectively obtained. The statistical significance between the clinical factors and postoperative recurrence was also investigated. A total of 244 patients were included. The median observation period was 45 months. There were 17 patients (6.6%) with a postoperative recurrence (8 local and 9 distant recurrences). In the log-lank test, rectal cancer (p = 0.004), pT2 (p = 0.020) and organ/space surgical site infection (SSI) (p = 0.008) were significantly associated with postoperative recurrence. In a multivariate analysis, rectal cancer (hazard ratio [HR] 3.678, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.184–11.425, p = 0.024) and organ/space SSI (HR 3.137, 95% CI 1.013–9.713, p = 0.047) were independently associated with a higher recurrence rate. Among 18 patients with organ/space SSI, 4 recurrences occurred, all of which were distant metastases. Organ/space SSI significantly affects the postoperative recurrence in patients with stage I CRC.