[A case of advanced rectal cancer responding to 5-fluorouracil based preoperative chemoradiation therapy]

We report a case of a 67-year-old female with advanced rectal cancer that showed a significant response after administration of preoperative chemoradiation therapy. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, 300 mg/m2/day) was administered by 24-hour continuous intravenous infusion after the cancer had been decreased in size by radiation (2 Gy) administered for 20 days preoperatively. Consequently, the patient underwent a low anterior resection with lymph node dissection (D 2), which resulted in a curative resection of the cancer cells macroscopically. Histological examination revealed no residual cancer cells in the resected specimen (CR). Preoperative chemoradiation therapy appears a promising regimen for patients with advanced lower rectal cancer, and can be considered to extend the indication for laparoscopic operations for advanced rectal cancer.