Abstract
The role of radiotherapy in the treatment of rectal cancer patients both in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings has grown tremendously in recent decades.
With its growing use, the potential side effects and complications rose in their importance for the medical and surgical societies.
The most significant complications that require surgeons’ attention are perforation, obstruction, and hemorrhage. Bearing them in mind, the clinician needs to reach a correct diagnosis through a rapid workup implementing physical examination, imaging modalities, and endoscopy in a timely manner. Once a diagnosis is made, a tailored and stepwise treatment for each complication is undertaken. It might ensue medical therapies such as formalin injections for bleeding, endoscopic interventions like stent placement for obstruction, or surgical procedures ranging from diversion to major rectal resections.
The surgeon must be involved early in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with emergent presentation due to radiotherapy treatment for rectal cancer. He has to be familiar with current available tools in his armamentarium, described in this chapter.
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Gilshtein, H., Harbi, A., Kluger, Y. (2019). Emergency Surgical Management in Rectal Cancer Patients Following Radiotherapy. In: de'Angelis, N., Di Saverio, S., Brunetti, F. (eds) Emergency Surgical Management of Colorectal Cancer. Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06225-5_19
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