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Investigators presented results from the randomized 2×2 factorial NSABP R-04 trial, which assessed >1400 patients with clinical stage II or III rectal cancer who were treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. The trial compared the use of standard infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) versus capecitabine during radiotherapy, each with or without the addition of oxaliplatin. In 5-FU recipients and capecitabine recipients, rates of surgical down-staging were similar (20.7% and 23.0%, respectively), as were rates of sphincter-sparing surgery (61.2% and 62.7%) and pathologic complete response at surgery (18.8% and 22.2%), indicating noninferiority of capecitabine. …