[Aspects of the combined treatment of rectal cancer]

A comparative estimation of the results of the treatment for rectal cancer in 2 groups of patients has shown the number of postoperative complications following the combined method to be 68.5%, while in surgical method-51.4%. Greater incidence of complications was dependent on the technic of irradiation employed, and to a certain extent, could be due to a more pronounced reduction of the sympatho-adrenal system activity and immunobiological reactivity of the organism in this group of patients. The postoperative mortality was approximately the same and yielded 9.9% in the combined and 11.7% in surgical treatment.