Image-Guided Brachytherapy for Rectal Cancer: Reviewing the Past Two Decades of Clinical Investigation.

ABSTRACT: (1) Background: The introduction of total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer has led to improvement in local recurrence (LR) outcomes. Furthermore, the addition of preoperative external beam radiotherapy to TME reduces LR to less than 6%. As a trade-off to these gradual improvements in local therapies, the oncology community's work is now focusing on mitigating treatment-related toxicities. In other words, if a small proportion of 4-6% of rectal cancer patients benefit from additional local therapy beyond TME, the burden of acute and long-term side effects must be considered with care. (2) Methods: With the introduction of better-quality imaging for tumor visualization and treatment planning, a new conformed radiation treatment was introduced with high-dose-rate endorectal brachyt

SUBMITTER: Vuong T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9563024 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature