The benefit of preoperative combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy to perform sphincter-preserving surgery for patients with locally advanced distal rectal cancer is not supported by findings from randomized, controlled trials. These findings have, however, now been questioned by a study that supports the prospect of a tailored surgical approach to rectal-cancer treatment on the basis of tumor behavior after neoadjuvant treatment.
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Valentini, V., Cellini, F. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation and sphincter preservation. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 6, 327–329 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2009.83
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2009.83
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