Preoperative Radiotherapy for Rectal Cancer

Pre-operative radiotherapy followed by surgery is more effective than surgery alone for preventing local recurrence of rectal cancer, and may also improve survival. Level of evidence: "A"

A systematic review 1 including 15 studies with a total of 7,985 subjects was abstracted in DARE. Overall mortality was lower in the treatment group (pre-operative radiotherapy) compared with the control groups (14 studies; RR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89, 0.99, P=0.021). The pooled results for local failure rate (13 studies; RR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.89, P=0.0025) and incidence of stage III tumours (15 studies; RR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.74 to 0.95, P=0.006) significantly favoured the treatment group.

References

Figueredo A, Zuraw L, Wong RK, Agboola O, Rumble RB, Tandan V, Cancer Care Ontario's Program in Evidence-based Care's Gastrointestinal Cancer Disease Site Group. The use of preoperative radiotherapy in the management of patients with clinically resectable rectal cancer: a practice guideline. BMC Med 2003 Nov 24;1:1. [PubMed] [DARE] http://www.cancercare.on.ca/pdf/pebc2-13f.pdf

Primary/Secondary Keywords

evidence summary
DARE
systematic review
Rectal neoplasms
Rectal cancer

Colorectal cancer

Radiotherapy
Preoperative care

section name header

Evidence summaries

Preoperative Radiotherapy for Rectal Cancer

References