ORIGINAL ARTICLE – COLORECTAL CANCER Chemoradiotherapy with a Radiation Boost for Anal Cancer Decreases the Risk for Salvage Abdominoperineal Resection: Analysis From the National Cancer Data Base

Background. Chemoradiotherapy (CRT), the primary treatment for anal cancer, achieves complete tumor regression in most patients. Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is reserved for persistent or recurrent disease. An additional boost dose of radiation after CRT often is used to improve the response rate for advanced local disease (T3, 4, and N?). This study examines the need for salvage APR after radiation boost. Methods. Patients with de novo anal cancer in the National Cancer Data Base from the years 2004–2010 were analyzed. Patients with missing data points or who did not receive standard CRT were excluded. Variables included age, gender, race, primary tumor size, clinical nodal status, TNM stage, radiation boost, and APR. A logistic regressio