Should Short-course Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy Be Applied for Low-lying Rectal Cancer? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Randomized Trials

National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend either long-course chemoradiation (LC) or short-course radiation (SC, 5 × 5 Gy) for rectal cancer before total mesorectal excision. However, they do not recommend SC for low-lying tumors. As early toxicity of SC is lower than that of LC, and postoperative complications as well as late toxicity are similar, the probable reason is a notion that for low-lying tumors LC ma y be more effective than SC in assuring local control.
Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: research