MUC5AC and rectal cancer: This could be attributed to the fact that the presence of acellular mucin pools may indicate tumor invasion, and for pCR patients with acellular mucin pools, ACT may be beneficial in eradicating any residual micrometastatic disease [17].Therefore, it is suggested that ACT and close follow-up are necessary for this particular subset of pCR rectal cancer patients with acellular mucin pools.