Preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer

Date

2005

Authors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

H G E Update Medical Publishing

Abstract

Background/Aims: To determine the percentage of responders and the resectability rate for patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the rectum treated by infusional 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy and pelvic radiation. Methodology: Twenty-four patients with a diagnosis of locally advanced unresectable rectal cancer received preoperative 5-fluorouracil by intravenous infusion at the dose of 250-300mg/m(2)/day concurrent with pelvic radiation (median 50.4 Gy/28 fractions). Surgery was performed with a mean delay of 15 days after completion of irradiation and included 11 abdominoperineal resections and five anal sphincterpreserving procedures. Results: The median follow-up was 22 months. Complete histological response occurred in 6%, and tumor down-staging in 58% of cases. There was a significant difference in the rate of local control based on the distance of the tumor from the anal verge (> 5.4cm; p=0.046). Our results have suggested the importance of the total dose on the local control (p=0.061). Higher local failure rate has been observed with prolonged treatment time (p=0.018). With metastasis-free survival as the endpoint, only stage (p=0.027) was a statistically significant prognostic factor. Conclusions: The favorable influence of higher doses of preoperative radiotherapy on pathologic stage has been observed. Even after preoperative radiotherapy, postoperative staging remained a prognostic factor.

Description

Keywords

Gastroenterology & hepatology, Surgery, Preoperative, Chemoradiotherapy, Rectal cancer, Radiation-therapy, Prognostic implications, Colorectal-cancer, Postoperative radiotherapy, Trial, Chemoradiation, Adenocarcinoma, Carcinoma, Resection, Patterns

Citation

Kurt, M. vd. (2005). "Preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer". Hepato-gastroenterology, 52(64), 1095-1100.

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