Radiation therapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of rectosigmoid carcinomas

ABSTRACT

Carcinomas of the rectum and sigmoid colon are the most common tumours of the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment results and prognostic factors of 63 patients with stage B-C carcinomas of the rectum and simoid colon were analyzed. Thirty-one patients [49%] had stage B disease. Thirty-two patients [51%] had stage C disease. All patients had surgical resection in the form of abdomino-perineal resction, anterior resection of rectal carcinoma, or simoid colon resection. This was followed by adjuvant treatment by external beam radiation therapy [dose of 4500-5040 cGy, at 180 cGy per fraction, five fraction a week] Using Six linear accelerator, adjuvant chemotherapy was given using fluorouracil and Leucovorin, for six months. The 3-year disease free survival for the whole group was 65%. Disease free survival rate at 3 years for stage B was 74% and for stage C, was 56%. The 56% local regional recurrence rate and distant metastasis rate at 3 years for the whole group was 35%. Distant metastases rate was 30%. No life threatening complications were recorded to this multidisciplinary treatment. The stage of the disease was the most important prognostic factor in predicting the survival