Local medical experts say a clinical trial confirms a novel strategy combining short-term radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy prior to surgery can achieve a better outcome for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.
Very positive results are seen in most patients, preserving their quality of life.
It is also the world’s first research to testify to the effects and safety of so-called total neoadjuvant therapy, which is expected to become a new choice for rectal cancer patients, according to experts from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center.
The research has gained international attention and was published by the world-leading Journal of Clinical Oncology, whose associate editor-in-chief Andrew H. Ko said the research can encourage the clinical exploration of more combined immunotherapy approaches in rectal cancer, especially patients who don’t want surgery.
Prevention and control of colorectal cancer is important as it ranks second in the city after lung cancer, largely due to changes in diet and inactivity.
Ti Gong
Dr Xu Ye (left) pictured during rectal cancer surgery.
“With the development of medical technology and promotion of early detection, the treatment result has been rising. The five-year survival at our hospital has reached 88 percent,” said Dr Xu Ye of the hospital’s colorectal surgery department, which teamed up with radiation oncology department to carry out the neoadjuvant therapy trial to study how to prolong survival and improve life quality.
Experts worked out a new approach with short-term radiation plus chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Among the 130 patients in the trial, over 50 percent of patients had a successful response.
Ti Gong
Medical experts in the radiation oncology department discuss radiotherapy in total neoadjuvant therapy on rectal cancer patients.
,https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2407093052/