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Review
. 2018 Dec;73(6):601-618.
doi: 10.23736/S0026-4733.18.07743-X. Epub 2018 May 24.

Non-operative management of rectal cancer: understanding tumor biology

Iris H Wei  1 , Julio Garcia-Aguilar  2
Affiliations
Review

Non-operative management of rectal cancer: understanding tumor biology

Iris H Wei et al. Minerva Chir. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

The management of locally-advanced rectal cancer involves a combination of chemotherapy, chemoradiation, and surgical resection to provide excellent local tumor control and overall survival. However, aspects of this multimodality approach are associated with significant morbidity and long-term sequelae. In addition, there is growing evidence that patients with a clinical complete response to chemotherapy and chemoradiation treatments may be safely offered initial non-operative management in a rigorous surveillance program. Weighed against the morbidity and significant sequelae of rectal resection, recognizing how to best optimize non-operative strategies without compromising oncologic outcomes is critical to our understanding and treatment of this disease.

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