[A case of advanced colon cancer invading the rectum effectively treated with chemoradiation therapy before surgery]

A 56-year-old man was hospitalized for anemia with appetite loss and body weight loss. He was diagnosed as advanced sigmoid colon cancer which invaded the rectal colon (Ra) and prostate (SI, N 0, P 0, H 0, M (-), cStage IIIa). We administered neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for fear of non-curative resection of the sigmoid colon and rectum after colostomy was performed. He was given radiation of the whole pelvis at a total dose of 39 .6 Gy (1.8 Gy x 22 times) combined with chemotherapy using continuous intravenous 5-FU (500 mg x 22 times). Two weeks after the chemoradiation, we administered chemotherapy (FOLFOX 4). Resectable resection was confirmed on Computed Tomography. We were able to conduct a low anterior resection of sigmoid colon and rectum. Postoperative histopathological examination of the resected sigmoid colon and rectum revealed no remnant cancer tissue. Neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is considered to be effective for a study of non-curative resection of rectum.