The influence of pre-operative radiation therapy on the patterns of recurrence in rectal adenocarcinoma.

From January 1976 to December 1994, we evaluated the institutional experience of local recurrence and survival in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma treated with pre-operative radiation therapy (PRT) as compared to those treated with radical surgery alone. There were 412 patients, divided into two groups: 259 patients (142 males and 117 females) in Group I and 153 patients (88 males and 65 females) in Group II. The median age was 56 years. Group I patients with locally advanced tumors, either tethered or fixed, received PRT at doses of 45 Gy delivered to the pelvis in two fields; 4 to 8 weeks later, radical surgery was performed. Patients with mobile tumors underwent radical surgery only (Group II). The operative mortality was 4.6% in Group I as compared to 1.9% in Group II (P = 0.18). At median follow-up of 89 months, there were local recurrences in 12.9% of Group I as compared to 36.2% in Group II (P = 0.0000001). The administration of PRT was associated with a low rate of local recurrence, but this improvement corresponded with a high morbidity rate, especially in patients who underwent abdominoperineal resection or pelvic exenteration. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.