Intensified neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer: a review

Background The rate of local recurrence of locally advanced rectal cancer (stage III and IV according to the criteria of Union Internationale Contre Le Cancer) is still high, and also the rate of distant metastases. There are a lot of phase I/II trails of intensified neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy with different chemotherapeutic agents and current protocols to radiotherapy. Aim The objective of this review of literature was to evaluate the necessity, the results, and comparability of the different regimes and to evaluate a potential impact on later adjuvant chemotherapy.