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Rectal cancer accounts for about one third of colorectal cancer. Given the risk for pelvic local recurrence of the disease, it is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, given the use of more active systemic adjuvant chemotherapy (FOLFOX), a standardized surgical approach (total mesorectal excision), and local recurrence rates of <10%, selective application of radiation therapy is increasingly being considered by practitioners.
To evaluate the selective omission of radiotherapy in patients who respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, investigators conducted a phase II, single-institution, single-arm trial involving 32 patients with T3Nany or node-positive rectal cancer, identified by endorecta…