Pre-Surgery Radiation Reduces Disease Recurrence from Rectal Cancer

Pre-Surgery Radiation Therapy Reduces Disease Recurrence and Risk of Death from Rectal Cancer

Contact:Katherine Egan Bennett703-227-0156[email protected]

Lesley Nevers703-227-0141[email protected]

For Release: October 17, 2001

Radiation treatments given before surgery for rectal cancer reduces the risk of local disease recurrence and death from the disease, according to an overview published in this week's issue of The Lancet.

There are differing opinions about when it is best to give radiation therapy for rectal cancer. In Scandinavia, The Netherlands and other parts of Europe, radiation therapy typically is given before surgery to remove the cancer. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom and North America, radiation therapy is usually given after the operation.

To help answer the question as to which is best for patients with rectal cancer, the Colorectal Cancer Collaborative Group analyzed data from 8,507 patients in 22 trials and found that radiation therapy before surgery is preferable. Investigators in the study say they found about half as many local recurrences of the disease in patients who had the radiation therapy before surgery compared to patients who underwent radiation therapy after surgery. In addition, the investigation found that fewer patients who had preoperative radiation therapy died compared to patients who only underwent surgery to treat the disease.

"This study gives support to adjuvant radiotherapy for rectal cancer," said Bruce D. Minsky, a member of the radiation oncology department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, who offered commentary to the overview.

If you would like to speak with an expert on this subject for an article, please contact Bruce D. Minsky, M.D., at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York at (212) 639-6817. You can also contact ASTRO and we will help you to schedule an interview.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 6,700 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the society's goals are to advance the scientific base of radiation therapy and to extend the benefits of radiation therapy to those with cancer and other diseases.

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