Which Patients With Rectal Cancer Do Not Need Radiotherapy?

According to current guidelines, the standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer patients is preoperative (chemo)radiotherapy followed by total mesorectal excision surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Improvements in surgical techniques, imaging modalities, chemotherapy regimens, and radiotherapy delivery have reduced local recurrence rates to less than 10%. The current challenge in rectal cancer treatment lies in the prevention of distant metastases, which still occur in more than 25% of the patients. The decrease in local recurrence rates, the need for more effective systemic treatments, and the increased awareness of treatment-induced toxicity raise the question as to whether a more selective use of radiotherapy is advocated.