Background: This study aimed to evaluate the application of the new
assessment methods of tumor budding, poorly differentiated clusters and
desmoplastic stromal reaction at the invasive front of colorectal carcinoma,
assess and compare their prognostic impact and detect the association between
(TB, PDCs and DR) and other conventional pathological parameters including
TNM stage, perineural invasion and lymphovascular invasion.
Methods: One hundred thirty-five cases of different stages of CRC with radical
resection were included. Two pathologists independently examined
Hematoxylin and Eosin-stained paraffin-embedded sections stained with
Hematoxylin and Eosin according to the most recent assessment procedures for
TB, PDC, and DR.
Result: TB scores were strongly correlated with PNI (p = 0.012), pathologic N
stage classification (p = 0.017), PDC (p <0.001), and DR (p <0.001), suggesting
that it may be a good predictor of lymph node metastasis. The correlation
between PDC grades and LVI (p=0.018), PNI (p=0.002), and DR (p<0.001) was
statistically significant. There was a strong correlation between DR types and
tumour size (p=0.007), LVI (p=0.011), and PNI (p<0.001). The OS was
considerably impacted by TB, PDC, and DR, but only TB stratified survival
rates independently of the conventional TNM stage and WHO tumour grade.
Conclusion: Independent of the AJCC tumour staging criteria and other
traditional histopathologic prognostic factors, the prognostic significance of TB
evaluation according to the ITBCC recommendations was robust.