[Pelvic recurrence after abdomino-perineal resection for carcinoma of the rectum (author's transl)].

The clinical features of pelvic recurrence in a series of 52 patients who underwent abdomino-perineal excision for carcinoma of the rectum are described. About 80% of these recurrences occurred within 2 years after surgical treatment. Low level of tumor in the rectum, local spreading into peri-rectal fat or serosa, lymph node involvement are factors related to high incidence of local recurrence. The bad prognosis of this pattern of failure leads to suggest that radiotherapy be given a trail as an adjuvant method of treatment to conventional surgical approach.