Background: To assess the locoregional control, survival and toxicities of combined intermediate-dose pre-operative irradiation and surgery for rectal cancer patients.
Materials and methods: Forty-two patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum underwent intermediate-dose pre-operative radiotherapy. The median age was 58 years. the prescribed dose was 30.6 Gy to the whole pelvis, while a boost of 4 x 3 Gy to the primary tumor was added. The calculated linear-quadratic dose was 52 Gy.
Results: Failure as a first site was pelvic in 2 and distant in 11. The crude pelvic failure rate was 9.5%. The 3- and 5-year overall survival was 75% and 63%, respectively. Pre-operative radiotherapy was well-tolerated by all. No anastomotic breakdown was seen. Nor was any death attributable to any adverse effects of the treatment.
Conclusion: The present results suggested that pre-operative intermediate-dose radiotherapy is effective in preventing pelvic recurrence in rectal cancer patients with acceptable toxicities.