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Radiation Therapy in Rectal Cancer

  • Living reference work entry
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Radiation Oncology

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Abstract

Rectal cancer is the second most common cancer in the large intestine. The treatment strategy in this disease consists of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and has evolved considerably during the last decades. Radiotherapy, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, has enabled significant improvement in local control. In the present chapter, we will discuss the fundamental treatment principles and recent developments in the multimodal management of patients with early-stage and locally advanced rectal cancer. Additionally, the implementation of new chemotherapeutic and targeted agents, the optimal sequence, and timing of treatment components will be presented. The recent concept of organ preservation using a “watch-and-wait” policy after completion of nonsurgical treatment will also be reviewed. We will also discuss the management of local recurrence and oligometastatic rectal cancer. Finally, we will summarize the current radiotherapy contouring guideline literature. Altogether, in conjunction with the technical innovations in radiotherapy, we have witnessed a significant progress in the treatment approaches of rectal cancer. The use of molecular biomarkers and modern imaging methods to improve staging becomes increasingly popular and is expected to facilitate a risk-adapted, individualized therapeutic approach in patients with this disease in the near future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt a.M., Germany

    Emmanouil Fokas & Claus Rödel

  2. German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany

    Emmanouil Fokas & Claus Rödel

  3. German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) partner site Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany

    Emmanouil Fokas & Claus Rödel

  4. Department of Radiation Oncology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy

    Maria Antonietta Gambacorta & Vincenzo Valentini

Authors
  1. Emmanouil Fokas
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  2. Maria Antonietta Gambacorta
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  3. Claus Rödel
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  4. Vincenzo Valentini
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Correspondence to Emmanouil Fokas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

    Frederik Wenz

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Fokas, E., Gambacorta, M.A., Rödel, C., Valentini, V. (2018). Radiation Therapy in Rectal Cancer. In: Wenz, F. (eds) Radiation Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52619-5_47-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52619-5_47-1

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