Pre-operative chemoradiotherapy using capecitabine and cetuximab followed by definitive surgery in patients with operable rectal cancer

ABSTRACT

Background: Achieving a high rate of complete pathological response with pre-operative chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer is an unmet need. We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of cetuximab, capecitabine and radiation therapy in the pre-operative setting of localized rectal cancer