Purpose: Recurrent disease after curative resection of primary rectal cancer is well known problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of recurrence of rectal cancer and find out the predictive factors affecting recurrence following resection with curative intent. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 144 consecutive patients with rectal cancer curatively resected between January 2004 and December 2006 at our hospital. Univariate and multivariate analyses were

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... ed on several clinicopathological variables to analyze factors affecting the cancer recurrence. Results: Univariate analysis demonstrated that tumor size (P< 0.001), depth of tumor and nodal metastasis (P< 0.001), histologic grade (P= 0.049), lymphovascular invasion (P< 0.001), perineural invasion (P= 0.002), adjuvant radiotherapy (P< 0.001) were predictive factors for Postoperative recurrence. By multivariate analysis, female (P= 0.035), tumor size over 4.5 cm (P= 0.032), progressed T (P= 0.047) and N (P= 0.008) stage were significant predictive factors. Conclusion: We concluded that those factors which could predict recurrence in rectal cancer were sex, invasion depth, lymph node status, and tumor size. That would be helpful for effective follow up and care of patient who had high risk factors about recurrence after curative resection. However there are many restriction in retrospective study, so we recommend the prospective study to ascertain the predictive factors.