<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The optimal management of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) often presents a therapeutic challenge. Balancing the benefits of treatment against toxicities and reducing the risk for local and distal recurrences are the mainstay of therapeutic approaches. Recently, several studies have compared a more aggressive approach of delivering several cycles of systemic chemotherapy to the established standard of combined chemoradiation. This approach is termed total neoadjuvant therapy and appears to be beneficial, at least for a subset of patients. The results of the main Phase III studies along with their variations in study design are hereby discussed with the goal of extracting useful clinical suggestions for treatment.</p>
</abstract>

The optimal management of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) often presents a therapeutic challenge. Balancing the benefits of treatment against toxicities and reducing the risk for local and distal recurrences are the mainstay of therapeutic approaches. Recently, several studies have compared a more aggressive approach of delivering several cycles of systemic chemotherapy to the established standard of combined chemoradiation. This approach is termed total neoadjuvant therapy and appears to be beneficial, at least for a subset of patients. The results of the main Phase III studies along with their variations in study design are hereby discussed with the goal of extracting useful clinical suggestions for treatment.

Total neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer: a review across studies

Forum of Clinical Oncology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Total neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer: a review across studies"}

The optimal management of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) often presents a therapeutic challenge. Balancing the benefits of treatment against toxicities...

Total neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer: a review across studies

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 25, 2024

Page range: -

Received: Oct 26, 2023

Accepted: Dec 15, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fco-2023-0014

Keywords
rectal cancer, total neoadjuvant therapy, Phase III studies, induction, consolidation, organ preservation

© 2024 Ioannis Gavalas et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Total neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer: a review across studies

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 25, 2024

Page range: -

Received: Oct 26, 2023

Accepted: Dec 15, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fco-2023-0014

Keywordsrectal cancer, total neoadjuvant therapy, Phase III studies, induction, consolidation, organ preservation

© 2024 Ioannis Gavalas et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
rectal cancer, total neoadjuvant therapy, Phase III studies, induction, consolidation, organ preservation