Lee HG, et al. - In this retrospective study, researchers assessed the prognostic impact of lymph node regression grade (LRG) in rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (PCRT) and radical resection. They identified 389 patients with rectal cancer treated with PCRT followed by radical resection from 2008 to 2011. Based on the proportion of tumor cells and fibrosis, the pathologic LRG (pLRG) score was determined. They used Cox regression analysis to assess the association of LRG-sum and recurrence free survival (RFS). According to findings, LRG-sum distribution was significantly related to tumor regression grade (TRG) of the primary tumor. Even in patients with the same number of metastatic lymph node (LN), LRG-sum showed different values. Overall, the investigators suggested that LRG has been a prognostic factor in rectal cancer oncological outcomes. In the prognosis and determination of treatments after PCRT, LN response to PCRT may help.