The impact of preoperative chemoradiotherapy on advanced low rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND

Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) followed by radical resection is an option for advanced low rectal cancer. This study was aimed to clarify the impact of CCRT on patients' outcome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred thirty-six patients with rectal cancer (<10  cm from anal verge) were enrolled prospectively between July 2000 and December 2004. The preoperative clinical stage was T3, T4, or node-positive disease. Sixty-nine and 67 patients underwent surgery with and without preoperative CCRT, respectively. The regimen of pre-op CCRT was a radiation dosage of 45  Gy in 20 fractions and oral tegafur-uracil (UFUR) and leucovorin.

RESULTS

There was no statistical difference in the preserved anorectal function between two groups after 5 years of follow-up (62.3% vs. 47.8%; P = 0.125). The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival (DFS) percentage were 88.4% and 76.8% for patients with preoperative CCRT, and 65.7% and 58.2% for patients without CCRT, respectively. Patients with preoperative CCRT had a higher overall survival rate and DFS (P = 0.001 and 0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with advanced low rectal cancer, preoperative CCRT followed by radical surgery significantly improved overall survival and DFS compared with surgery alone. The effect of sphincter preservation with preoperative CCRT is questionable.