[Consensus on the Watch and Wait policy in rectal cancer patients after neoadjuvant treatment (2020 version)]

Patients with clinical complete response(cCR) after neoadjuvant treatment receiving the Watch and Wait('W&W') policy can achieve similar survival of those with yeild pathological complete response (ypCR), and have significantly improved quality of life compared to those undergoing radical operation. Based on thoroughly reviewing the literatures and guidelines at home and abroad, and referring associated clinical experiences from a lot of domestic medical centers, the present version of Chinese Consensus on W&W was established by a panel of many experts of gastrointestinal surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, endoscopy, radiology. This consensus mainly elucidates important conceptions of the W&W policy, current key evidences, risks and benefits for patients, conditions to carry out W&W, criteria of cCR diagnosis, timing of evaluation, follow - up plan, salvage treatment for local relapse and distant metastasis, associated problems of local resection, and is expected to facilitate the clinical practice and research of W&W policy in China.