title: Intermediate dose pre-operative irradiation for carcinoma of the rectum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the locoregional control, survival and toxicities of combined intermediate-dose pre-operative irradiation and surgery for rectal cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum underwent intermediate-dose pre-operative radiotherapy. The median age was 58 years. the prescribed dose was 30.6 Gy to the whole pelvis, while a boost of 4 x 3 Gy to the primary tumor was added. The calculated linear-quadratic dose was 52 Gy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Failure as a first site was pelvic in 2 and distant in 11. The crude pelvic failure rate was 9.5%. The 3- and 5-year overall survival was 75% and 63%, respectively. Pre-operative radiotherapy was well-tolerated by all. No anastomotic breakdown was seen. Nor was any death attributable to any adverse effects of the treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results suggested that pre-operative intermediate-dose radiotherapy is effective in preventing pelvic recurrence in rectal cancer patients with acceptable toxicities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, Inohana 1-8-1, Chuou-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. unotakas@ho.chiba-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uno
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aruga
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Isobe
authors.forename: Namio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Machida
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D017211:Treatment Failure