Sprenger T, et al. - The impact of surgical complications on oncological outcomes was assessed in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated within the randomized CAO/ARO/AIO-94 (Working Group of Surgical Oncology/Working Group of Radiation Oncology/Working Group of Medical Oncology of the Germany Cancer Society) trial. Researchers randomly assigned a total of 799 patients to either preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by total mesorectal excision (TME) or postoperative CRT between 1995 and 2002. They identified that lymph node metastases and surgical complications (anastomotic leakage and/or wound healing disorder) have independent predictive value for reduced overall survival. This trial thus suggested adverse oncological outcomes in association with surgical complications.