title: Preoperative radiochemotherapy in t3 operable low rectal cancers: a gold standard?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preoperative chemoradiation followed by total mesorectal excision (TME) has become a standard treatment of preoperatively staged T3 low rectal cancers in many institutions; however, a direct comparison of generalized preoperative versus selective adjuvant chemoradiation has never been assessed in a clinical practice setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a 4-year period, 80 patients with T3 primary low adenocarcinoma of the rectum, judged operable at preoperative staging, were offered preoperative chemoradiation. Forty-seven patients (Group I) accepted the neoadjuvant treatment and 33 (Group II) preferred immediate surgery and postoperative chemoradiation if indicated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Major postoperative complications occurred in 21% of Group I versus in 11% of Group II (p = 0.3) patients. After a mean follow-up of 92 months, the local recurrence rate was 4 and 9% (p = 0.4), metastasis rate was 30 and 24% (p = 0.5), 5-year survival probability was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.49-0.92) and 0.82 (95% CI = 0.70-1.00) (log-rank test, p = 0.6) for Group I and Group II, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In T3 operable low rectal cancers, selective postoperative radiochemotherapy yielded similar long-term results regarding recurrence rate and survival as extended preoperative chemoradiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Critical Care, Section of General and Oncological Surgery, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. claudio.fucini@unifi.it
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fucini
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pucciani
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Elbetti
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gattai
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Russo
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*