Barriers to Offering Organ Preservation for Rectal Cancer in a Predominantly Hispanic Safety Net Hospital.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) has shown promise in achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) and enabling organ preservation through watch-and-wait (WW) strategies. However, implementation of WW protocols in diverse patient populations and safety-net hospitals faces unique challenges. The objective of this study is to evaluate TNT outcomes and identify barriers to WW implementation in a predominantly Hispanic safety-net hospital in South Texas.

Methods

A retrospective review was conducted of 40 LARC patients treated with TNT at an academic tertiary referral center in South Texas between 2018 and 2023. Patient demographics, disease characteristics, and pCR rates were analyzed. A survey of multidisciplinary providers as

SUBMITTER: Nasim BW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12339013 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature