In the hands of experts, laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer was as successful as an open abdominal operation.  Cancer free survival after five years wasn’t any different, and cancer was no more likely to return in and around the rectum.

Even if surgeons had to change their approach during the operation and convert from laparoscopic to open surgery, outcomes were not affected. Read the rest of this entry »

At ASCO a number of studies showed the efficacy data of combining 5-FU or Xeloda with oxaliplatin in combination with radiation therapy in patients with rectal cancer. Read the rest of this entry »

Researchers tried to push the envelope in treating rectal and anal cancer by adding new or different chemotherapy to standard chemoradiotherapy.  However, two trials in rectal cancer and one in anal cancer were not able to improve complete response rates for chemoradiation.  Adding extra chemotherapy after radiation was finished didn’t improve relapse-free survival for anal cancer either. Read the rest of this entry »

The more tumors shrink during chemotherapy and radiation before rectal cancer surgery, the better the chance that patients will survive and be cancer-free five years later.

Doctors in Ireland developed a simple, three point, tumor regression grade or TRG, to measure the amount of change during chemoradiotherapy before surgery to remove rectal cancer.  After five years, all patients with the best tumor regression grade — complete or near complete response to chemoradiation — were alive and disease-free. Read the rest of this entry »

Patients whose tumors shrink in response to radiation therapy before surgery for rectal cancer have both improved overall survival and improved disease-free survival.  However, even patients who responded to presurgical radiation did not reach survival rates for stage I rectal cancer patients treated with surgery alone. Read the rest of this entry »