[Combination treatment of rectal cancer using 2 variants of preoperative concentration gamma therapy]

The paper is concerned with the results of a randomized study of 154 patients with rectal cancer. Of these, 76 were on combination therapy and 78 underwent surgical treatment alone. Preoperative gamma-therapy was given from open fields at a single dose of 4-5 Gy with a summary dose of 20-25 Gy, or by using a grid diaphragm at a single dose of 10 Gy up to a summary dose of 50 Gy. Irradiation was followed by surgical intervention in 3-5 days. The analysis of immediate therapeutic results has shown that the above variants of preoperative irradiation are well tolerated and do not cause an increase either in the number of postoperative complications or lethal cases. Combination therapy improves long-term results and causes a significant decrease (more than thrice) in the frequency of postoperative cancer recurrences. The treatment has proved to be the most effective in patients with a locally disseminated process and an unfavorable prognosis.