Study: Radiotherapy Before Surgery Helps Some Rectal Cancer Patients

Patients with stage T3 low rectal cancer appear to have a better survival rate if they have radiotherapy prior to their surgery, according to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio.

Researchers studied 259 patients (112 males and 147 females) with stage T3 low rectal cancer, all having tumors within 8 cm of the anal verge, which is the transitional area between the smooth perianal area and the hairy skin.

Ninety-two patients had radiotherapy 4 to 6 weeks prior to their surgery and 167 did not have radiotherapy treatment. Tumors in both groups were staged with distal margins averaging 2.4 cm.

Patients having radiotherapy before surgery had a 5-year survival rate of 82 percent compared with 58 percent for patients who did not have the radiotherapy, according to the study presented at the 87th Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

Overall survival for patients who did not have radiotherapy before surgery was 52 percent compared to 63 percent overall survival in the radiotherapy group.

The greatest effect seen in patients having radiotherapy was with those having tumors in the range of 2 to 5 cm. No effect was seen for smaller or larger tumors.

Other Sources: American College of Surgeons