[Endocavitary radiotherapy of rectal cancer]

Most patients with rectal carcinomas undergo surgery, either a resection with anastomosis or Miles' operation with permanent colostomy. Endocavitary radiotherapy is an alternative to surgery in patients with small carcinomas (Dukes' A) or adenovillous adenomas. The treatment is cheap, simple, gives good local tumour control, has low morbidity and does not require hospitalization. The Norwegian Radium Hospital has recently started to use this method in selected cases of rectal carcinomas.