title: Pre-operative radiotherapy as adjuvant treatment in rectal cancer.
abstract: From January, 1975 to December, 1987, 241 patients with rectal cancer underwent pre-operative irradiation and surgical resection. The radiation was delivered with 25 MeV photons, 5 days per week by 2.4 grays fractions up to a total dose of 36 grays. Surgery was curative in 195 patients; 57% had abdomino-perineal resection. Irradiation had to be discontinued in 3 patients and 4 patients subsequently developed severe acute ileitis. Postoperative mortality rate was 2.9%. The most frequent postoperative complications were delayed healing of abdominal wounds (18%) and perineal wounds (14%). Severe late complications occurred in 27 (13%) patients. The incidence of intestinal obstruction was 5%. Follow-up survivors ranged from 18 months to 13 years. Local failure occurred in 24 (12%) of the 195 patients. Local failure rates were 10% for Dukes' A tumors, 11.6% for Dukes' B, and 22.7% for Dukes' C tumors. Five and 10 year actuarial survival rates after curative surgery were 70% and 52%. The Dukes' classification was the only factor that influenced survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Centre Claudius Regaud, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Izar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fourtanier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pradere
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chiotasso
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fontes-Dislaire
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bugat
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Daly
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome