The COVID-19 pandemic has enabled researchers to show that a long course of radiotherapy given before surgery may be a better treatment for avoiding surgery, preserving the rectum and anus, and preventing regrowth of the primary tumor than a short course of radiotherapy for patients with rectal cancer – a type of bowel cancer.
European Society for Medical Oncology Sep 11 2024 However, the overall survival and survival free of recurrence of the disease remained the same for both treatments.
"The crucial knowledge gaps were whether organ preservation is safe after SCRT and which radiation treatment is best if organ preservation is the goal. Until now, there were no studies comparing SCRT and long course of chemoradiotherapy, LCCRT, in terms of organ preservation and local regrowth rates.
After an average of 31 months, 44.5% of patients receiving LCCRT and 43.4% of patients receiving SCRT had a complete response. After two years, organ preservation was achieved in 40% of LCCRT and 31% of SCRT patients. In patients managed with "watch and wait", LCRT resulted in higher organ preservation at two years and lower local regrowth .
Related Stories "Despite similar clinical complete response rates, we observed more local regrowth after SCRT than LCCRT. This suggests that SCRT may be less durable than LCCRT. If the goal is lifelong organ preservation, LCCRT seems to be the preferred treatment option given our findings of more durable response with LCCRT.
The researchers will continue to monitor the patients to see how they do over a longer term of five to seven years. "I was diagnosed in August of 2022 after having my symptoms dismissed with 'you're too young' and 'you had two natural childbirths, it's probably hemorrhoids' by three GPs who talked to me virtually. I was 46 when I was diagnosed with a 3-4 cm, mid-low, flat rectal tumor," she said.
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