Radiation therapy schedule for rectal cancer

Abstract

Presently, rectal cancer requires a multimodality approach to therapy. In this scheme, radiation therapy may play an important role in increasing the local control rate, improving disease-free and overall survival rates, and protection of organ function. Many studies have been conducted to improve treatment response rates. Radiation therapy schedule is the most studied issues among them. The advantages and disadvantages of preoperative radiotherapy when compared to postoperative administration have been studied in several phase II and phase III studies. In addition, it has been demonstrated that the preoperative approach increases the local control rates with a reduction in acute and late toxicity. Preoperative radiotherapy can be either applied as long-term or short-term. The main advantage of the long-term approach is that it can be applied with concomitant chemotherapy which results in higher response rates and complete pathological reduction. The aim of this review article is to summarize the evidence in literature and determine the most appropriate form of radiotherapy in the management of rectal cancer. © 2014 Association of Oncology.