Management of local rectal cancer: evidence, controversies and future perspectives in radiotherapy

SUMMARY Rectal cancer comprises approximately 25% of all primary colorectal cancers. The optimal diagnostic and treatment approach for this heterogeneous malignancy is still contentious, and improvements in general multidisciplinary management are required. During recent years a number of randomized studies led by European investigators have shown optimization in preoperative staging, improvements in surgical technique and the histopathological assessment of the resected specimen, and the benefit of combined modality treatment. The main recommendations and the trends in research on radiotherapy and integrated treatments will be summarized with an overview on some relevant points about imaging and pathological staging.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone for early-stage rectal cancer: an evolving paradigm?

Current management of early-stage rectal cancer comprises combinations of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, with the presence or absence of several validated high-risk features determining which treatment modalities will be used and the order of administration. In high-risk individuals, most centers have adopted neoadjuvant combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed by surgery as the initial approach. However, long-term toxicity, limited survival gains, and high rates of distant failure have called this approach into question, with early data suggesting that neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone may be feasible in selected patient groups. This review discusses the current data and feasibility of managing early stage rectal cancer with neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgical resection.