AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Several studies have emphasized the role of radiation therapy for @entity1 with pelvic recurrences of @entity189 following primary surgery. The occurrence of local-regional relapse usually means a poor prognosis and often a poor quality of life, so that different authors consider the prognosis of @entity1 relapsing after surgery worse than those with primary inoperable @entity5 or those with @entity66 after resection. METHODS: Between January 1988 and January 1995, 43 @entity1 with local recurrence of @entity189 were treated at our Institution. Twenty-three had previously been operated by abdominoperineal resection and 20 by anterior resection. Thirteen cases also received adjuvant chemotherapy. All @entity1 underwent irradiation with a 6-15 MeV linear accelerator; 8 (19%) received a total dose of up to 45 Gy on the pelvis and 35 (81%) higher than 45 Gy. Eighteen cases (42%) underwent 3-6 courses of chemotherapy with @entity1487 and @entity26457 during radiation. RESULTS: Treatment tolerance was satisfactory. All cases underwent restaging at 45 days from completion of treatment. Sixteen cases (37%) showed a radiologic response > 50%. Median overall survival after relapse was 18.8 months. There were no statistical significant differences in survival between @entity1 treated exclusively with radiation and those treated with chemo-radiotherapy (17 vs 22 months). The results of @entity1 who received doses higher than 45 Gy were statically better (P < 0.05) than those irradiated up to 45 Gy. A slight increase in survival was demonstrated in cases submitted to radical surgery after combined treatment (25 months). Twenty-seven cases (63%) obtained @entity158 control after radiation therapy (median @entity158 remission, 11 months). CONCLUSIONS: Our results seem to encourage radiation therapists, surgeons and oncologists to have a more curative attitude in the treatment of selected @entity1 with local-regional recurrences of @entity5 by using multi-modality therapy.

Radiation therapy for local-regional recurrences of XXXX following primary surgery.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity66 :: ('MESH:D004194', 'Disease') :: ['residual disease'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['rectal cancers', 'tumors'] @entity189 :: ('MESH:D002277', 'Disease') :: ['rectal carcinoma'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['pain'] @entity26457 :: ('CHEBI:37445', 'Chemical') :: ['folates'] @entity1487 :: ('MESH:D005472', 'Chemical') :: ['5-fluorouracil']
@entity189 :: (MESH:D002277,Disease) :: ['rectal carcinoma']
