Emerging therapies for rectal cancer

Preoperative treatment with either short-course radiotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) is used routinely in some centres to reduce local recurrence rates in patients with operable rectal cancer prior to optimal surgery. However, there is a need for new treatment strategies to further improve the outcomes of these patients, particularly with regard to survival. Advances in the treatment of metastatic disease, such as the use of combination chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and irinotecan, and the targeted agents bevacizumab and cetuximab, have led to clinical research into alternative radio-sensitizers during CRT and the novel use of neo-adjuvant (preoperative) chemotherapy prior to preoperative CRT and surgery. Whilst these remain experimental, it is likely that these will serve as a platform for developing an expanded range of treatment options so that clinicians will be better able to tailor treatment to the needs of different patients.