Preoperative radiotherapy and local excision of rectal cancer with immediate radical re-operation for poor responders

Background and purpose: To report an early analysis of prospective study exploring preoperative radiotherapy and local excision in rectal cancer. Materials and methods: Mucosa at tumour edges was tattooed. Patients with cT1-3N0 tumour <3-4 cm were treated with either 5 x 5 Gy + 4 Gy boost (N = 31) or chemoradiation (50.4 Gy + 5.4 Gy boost, 1.8 Gy per fraction + 5-fluorouracyl and leucovorin; N = 13). Thirteen patients from the short-course group were unfit for chemotherapy. The interval from radiation to full-thickness local excision was 6 weeks. The protocol called for conversion to a transabdominal surgery in case of ypT2-3 disease or positive margin. Results: The postoperative complications requiring hospitalization were recorded in 9% of patients. The rate of pathological complete response was 41%. The rate of patients requiring conversion was 34%; however, 18% actually underwent conversion and the remaining 16% refused or were unfit. During the 14 months of median follow-up, local recurrence was detected in 7% of patients and all underwent salvage surgery. Of 19 patients in whom initially anterior resection was likely, 16% had abdominoperineal resection performed for a conversion or as a rescue procedure. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the short-course radiation prior to local excision is a treatment option for high-risk patients. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Radiotherapy and Oncology 92 (2009) 195-201