Point: short-course radiation therapy is preferable in the neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer |
| |
Authors: | Bujko Krzysztof Bujko Magdalena |
| |
Institution: | Department of Radiotherapy, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre, Warsaw, Poland. bujko@coi.waw.pl |
| |
Abstract: | There are 2 types of neoadjuvant radiation regimens accepted as standard for resectable rectal cancer: short-course (5 × 5 Gy) radiation therapy alone with immediate surgery and long-course combined chemoradiation therapy with delayed surgery. A Polish randomized study (n = 312) and an Australian randomized study (n = 326) compared these 2 schedules. Both trials showed a lower rate of early adverse effects using a short-course radiation regimen and no differences in long-term oncologic outcomes and late toxicity rates between groups. The small number of fractions makes short-course radiation less expensive and more convenient than chemoradiation therapy. These facts indicate that short-course radiation is preferable to chemoradiation for resectable cancers. Additionally, short-course preoperative radiation with a long interval to surgery is a valuable option for patients unfit for chemotherapy, with unresectable cancer or with a small tumor that is amenable to local excision. Moreover, short-course radiation enables the intensification of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with metastatic rectal cancer with potentially resectable synchronous metastatic disease. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|