Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (10)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Glimelius, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Glimelius, B.
Related Collections
Right arrow Oncology
Right arrow Radiology
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

British Medical Bulletin 64:141-157 (2002)
© 2002 The British Council

Radiotherapy in rectal cancer

Bengt Glimelius

Department of Oncology, Radiology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital, Uppsala and Radiumhemmet, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Radiotherapy has an established role in the treatment of rectal cancer. In primary resectable cancer, numerous randomised trials have shown that particularly pre-operative, and to some extent also postoperative, radiotherapy substantially reduces the risk of local failure. This is seen also with total mesorectal excision. Secondary to the reduction in local failures, there is also a slight improvement in survival after pre-operative radiotherapy or postoperative radiochemotherapy. Using appropriate techniques, the morbidity of radiotherapy is low. In non-resectable cancer, radiotherapy may cause down-staging, allow surgery, and may cure some patients. Whether radiochemotherapy is more efficient has yet to be firmly established. The role of pre-operative radio(chemo)therapy to permit more sphincter-preserving procedures with adequate long-term function is not defined.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 JCOHome page
R. L. Ward, K. Cheong, S.-L. Ku, A. Meagher, T. O'Connor, and N. J. Hawkins
Adverse Prognostic Effect of Methylation in Colorectal Cancer Is Reversed by Microsatellite Instability
J. Clin. Oncol., October 15, 2003; 21(20): 3729 - 3736.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.