Role of Chemotherapy in the Neoadjuvant/Adjuvant Setting for Patients With Rectal Adenocarcinoma Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy and Surgery or Radiotherapy and Surgery

Abstract

Rectal cancer has been successfully managed in the last couple of decades. In the USA, as the initial approach, neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation has been associated not only with decrease in tumor size and recurrence but also with higher resection rate with minimal side effects. Data support that addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy is superior to radiotherapy alone in the neoadjuvant setting. Recent debates have addressed the question of administration of adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery. In this article, we discuss the role of chemotherapy in both the neoadjuvant and the adjuvant settings for locally advanced rectal cancer.

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