title: Intraoperative radiation therapy for locally advanced recurrent rectal or rectosigmoid cancer.
abstract: Recurrent rectal or rectosigmoid cancer is a difficult therapeutic problem. A treatment program of external beam irradiation, surgery, and intraoperative irradiation has been used for 41 patients. The 5-year actuarial local control and disease-free survival of all 41 patients was 30% and 16%, respectively. Subset analysis demonstrated differences in outcome by extent of surgical resection. The 5-year actuarial local control and disease-free survival of 27 patients undergoing complete resection was 47% and 21%, respectively. By contrast, the outcome of 14 patients undergoing partial resection was poor, with a 5-year actuarial local control and survival of 21% and 7%, respectively. Late complications included soft tissue or peripheral nerve injury, with many of these resolving within 4-18 months. Local control and disease-free survival rates are favorable in comparison with the results achieved by aggressive surgery. Patients who achieve a gross total resection at intraoperative irradiation have a markedly better prognosis than that of patients with residual gross disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hosptial, Boston 02114, USA.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Shellito
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Coen
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hoover
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D012007:Rectum / Q000601:surgery*; D012811:Sigmoid Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome