PREOPERATIVE RADIOCHEMOTHERAPY RESPONSE AS PROGNOSTIC FACTOR IN COLORECTAL-CANCER

In order to demonstrate if radiotherapy (RT) is able to reduce the num ber of local recurrences and to increase the survival rate of patients (pts) with colorectal cancer, the authors are participating in a larg e randomized international trial with the goal of comparing patients t reated with preoperative radiotherapy plus surgery and patients treate d only by surgery, The authors noticed that some patients treated with preoperative radiotherapy showed a reduction in tumor size at the tim e of endorectal ultrasonography. The authors considered the incidence of recurrences in patients responsive to radiotherapy (RT responsive g roup), in patients non responsive to radiotherapy (RT non responsive g roup) and in patients not treated with radiotherapy (no RT group) with the aim of establishing if the responsiveness to preoperative radioth erapy could be considered a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. Af ter a three year follow-up RT responsive group (41 pts) showed no recu rrences (0%); RT non responsive group (27 pts) showed 7 (25%) recurren ces; no RT group (66 pts) showed 27 (41%) recurrences. Our data indica tes that responsiveness to preoperative RT can be considered a prognos tic factor. A large number of patients is required to confirm this obs ervation.