Adjuvant radiotherapy--preoperative, postoperative, or both: a proposal for a new approach

A new approach to adjuvant radiotherapy is presented using a "sandwich technique" of low-dose preoperative irradiation (500 rads) and high-dose postoperative irradiation (4500 rads in 5 weeks) in the treatment of operable carcinomas of the rectum and bladder. The rationale for this approach and the preliminary results of a pilot study in 28 patients (19 with carcinoma of the rectum and nine with carcinoma of the bladder) are presented. This appears to be a very feasible and logical approach to treatment, with very few complications and excellent local control of disease.