T. Leong et al., PREOPERATIVE RADIOTHERAPY AND CHEMOTHERAPY FOR NONRESECTABLE RECTAL-CANCER, Australian and New Zealand journal of surgery, 67(9), 1997, pp. 603-606
Background: The treatment results of combined pre-operative radiothera
py and chemotherapy followed by surgery for patients with initially no
n-resectable primary rectal cancer were reviewed. Methods: Thirteen pa
tients with locally advanced non-resectable rectal cancer were treated
with pre-operative irradiation consisting of 50.4-54 Gy plus concomit
ant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) delivered during the 1st and 5th weeks of ra
diotherapy. Results: Following pre-operative therapy, the resectabilit
y rate was 91%, with all but one patient undergoing complete resection
. The pathologic complete response rate was 10%. The overall peri-oper
ative and postoperative complication rate was 0.8 complications per pa
tient. There was no postoperative mortality.Conclusions: This early ex
perience indicates that high resectability rates are achievable with p
re-operative radiotherapy and chemotherapy for non-resectable rectal c
ancer while maintaining acceptable postoperative morbidity.