Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jan 28;20(4):877-87.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i4.877.

Evolving treatment strategies for colorectal cancer: a critical review of current therapeutic options

Daniel C Damin  1 , Anderson R Lazzaron  1
Affiliations
Review

Evolving treatment strategies for colorectal cancer: a critical review of current therapeutic options

Daniel C Damin et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Management of rectal cancer has markedly evolved over the last two decades. New technologies of staging have allowed a more precise definition of tumor extension. Refinements in surgical concepts and techniques have resulted in higher rates of sphincter preservation and better functional outcome for patients with this malignancy. Although, preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by total mesorectal excision has become the standard of care for locally advanced tumors, many controversial matters in management of rectal cancer still need to be defined. These include the feasibility of a non-surgical approach after a favorable response to neoadjuvant therapy, the ideal margins of surgical resection for sphincter preservation and the adequacy of minimally invasive techniques of tumor resection. In this article, after an extensive search in PubMed and Embase databases, we critically review the current strategies and the most debatable matters in treatment of rectal cancer.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy; Rectal cancer; Sphincter preservation; Staging; Surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Rectal anatomy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nivatvongs S, Gordon PH. Surgical anatomy. In: Gordon PH, Nivatvongs S, editors. Principle and Practice of Surgery for the Colon, Rectum and Anus. New York: Informa Healthcare; 2007. pp. 1–28.
    1. Monson JR, Weiser MR, Buie WD, Chang GJ, Rafferty JF, Buie WD, Rafferty J; Standards Practice Task Force of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Practice parameters for the management of rectal cancer (revised) Dis Colon Rectum. 2013;56:535–550. - PubMed
    1. Kim MS, Park YJ. Detection and treatment of synchronous lesions in colorectal cancer: the clinical implication of perioperative colonoscopy. World J Gastroenterol. 2007;13:4108–4111. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kim MS . AJCC. Colon and Rectum. In: Edge SB, Byrd DR, Compton CC, eds , editors. AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. 7th ed. New York, NY: Springer; 2010. pp. 143–164.
    1. Rifkin MD, Ehrlich SM, Marks G. Staging of rectal carcinoma: prospective comparison of endorectal US and CT. Radiology. 1989;170:319–322. - PubMed