title: What is being researched in rectal cancer?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clinical evidence has a more significant role in medical specialties than in surgery. Rectal cancer (CR) is no exception. This paper explores what CR-related subjects are being investigated at the present time in a quantitative and qualitative way and analyzes this information to know what possible answers clinical research could give us in the future.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data collection was carried out in April 2014 and was based on 3 sources: 2 institutional clinical trials registries -American (clinicaltrials.gov) and European (EU Clinical Trials Register)- and a survey given to members of the Asociación Española de Coloproctología (AECP). The obtained studies were exported to a database designed especially for this review, which included a number of descriptive elements that would allow the cataloging of the different studies. The AECP survey results were analyzed separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There are currently 216 clinical trials ongoing related to CR. Two-thirds are primarily conducted by oncologists. Nearly a third are surgical. The research focuses on improving preoperative treatment: new drugs, new schemes of chemo-radiotherapy (usually induction or consolidation schemes) or optimization of radiotherapy and its effects. Surgical clinical trials are related to robotics, laparoscopy, stoma, low colorectal anastomosis, distal CR and local treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the current clinical trials ongoing on CR are analyzing aspects of chemo-radiotherapy and its effects. A third focus on purely surgical issues.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España. Electronic address: areinaduarte@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reina Duarte
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrer Márquez
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Francisco A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Rubio Gil
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Belda Lozano
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alvarez García
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blesa Sierra
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fuentes Porcel
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vidaña Márquez
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cirugía Colorrectal, UGC Cirugía, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas y AGS Norte de Almería, Almería, España.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosado Cobian
keywords: Chemoradiotherapy; Cirugía rectal; Clinical trials; Cáncer de recto; Ensayos clínicos; Estudios aleatorizados; Neoplasm; Quimiorradioterapia; Randomized trials; Surgery