title: Can only chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment be applied to patients with rectal cancer who could not be operated?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study is aimed to evaluate patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer who could not be operated due to any reason and were treated with chemoradiotherapy alone or chemotherapy following chemoradiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with locally advanced non-metastatic rectal cancer, who were treated and followed-up were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally 263 patients with stage II and III rectal cancer were evaluated. It was determined that 14 (5.2%) of the patients with locally advanced stages received chemoradiotherapy alone or chemotherapy following chemoradiotherapy, and they were followed-up instead of undergoing operation. The baseline assessments revealed that 8 (57.1%) patients had clinical stage II, and 6 (42.9%) patients had clinical stage III diseases. Recurrence was detected in 3 (21.4%) patients. 6 (42.9%) patients died, and death due to rectal cancer progression was detected in 2 (14.3%) patients. Median progression-free survival was 25 months (8 to 68 months), median overall survival was 35 months (12 to 68 months), overall survival rates in 1, 3 and 5 years were 92.9%, 69.8% and 52.4%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chemoradiotherapy alone or subsequent chemotherapy after chemoradiotherapy may be suitable for patients with non-metastatic locally advanced rectal cancer who could not be operated due to any reason.
authors.affiliation: Dokuz Eylül University, Medical Faculty, Department of Internal Diseases, Divison of Medical Oncology, İnciraltı, 35340, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dogan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koca
authors.forename: Ilhan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oztop
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
keywords: Locally advanced rectal cancer; chemoradiotherapy; chemotherapy