Outcome of Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy

ABSTRACT

Introduction: About 30% of all colorectal tumors develop in the rectum. The location of the rectum within the bony pelvisand its proximity to vital structures presents significant therapeutic challenges when considering neoadjuvant options andsurgical interventions. Neoadjuvant therapy may comprise either radiotherapy (RT) alone or in combination with chemotherapy.Commonly prescribed chemotherapy agents include 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin. These agents act to limit tumor cell divisionin several ways.Aim: The aim of this study was to study the outcome of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvantchemotherapy and RT.Materials and Methods: Patients with locally advanced pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the rectum, without detectabledistant metastasis at presentation, were included in this study. Patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy.Results: In 67 patients, 63% of patients were female; Stage IIA cases were 69% followed by Stages IIB and IIC 10% in each.About 19% of patients underwent surgery and 81% of patients underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by reassessmentfor surgery. Overall survival in 3 years in this study was noted as 67.6%.Conclusion: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by radical surgery has shown very satisfactory results in the managementof locally advanced rectal cancers.