The British journal of surgery
The most recent articles from:
Br J Surg
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Postoperative complications in relation to overall treatment time in patients with rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant radiotherapy.
The optimal timing of surgery for rectal cancer after radiotherapy (RT) is disputed. The Stockholm III trial concluded that it was oncologically safe to delay surgery for 4-8 weeks after short-course RT (SRT), with fewer postoperative complications compared with SRT with surgery within a week. Other studies have indicated that an even shorter interval between RT and surgery (0-3 days) might be beneficial. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal interval to surgery after RT. ⋯ These results suggest that surgery should optimally be delayed for 4-12 weeks (OTT 5-13 weeks) after SRT.