Study: Surgery for Rectal Cancer Recurrence Increases Survival

Patients who suffer a recurrence of rectal cancer have significantly increased prospects for long-term survival if they undergo a second surgery, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In a study of 715 patients who had a disease recurrence, the researchers found that 171 patients (one-third of those with a single organ or single site of recurrence) had surgery in an effort to remove the cancer.

"Overall survival differed significantly" between those who opted for surgery and those who opted to treat the recurrence without surgery, the researchers reported.

They said the of the rectal cancer patients who chose to deal with the recurrence surgically, one in four lived another five years compared to only a 6-percent five-year survival rate for those who did not have surgery.

"Attempted surgical salvage of rectal cancer recurrence is performed commonly in the United States," the researchers concluded. "The chance of a long-term cure with such intervention is approximately 27 percent."

Other sources: Journal of Clinical Oncology