Curative surgical resection following reirradiation for recurrent rectal cancer

In spite of adjunctive radiation and chemotherapy, 10 to 25% of patients with resected rectal cancer develop local recurrence in the pelvis. This study evaluates the potential for curative surgical resection of residual disease following reirradiation for recurrent rectal cancer.

Thirty-nine patients with recurrent adenocarcinoma of the rectum following prior adjunctive therapy underwent reirradiation of the pelvis with concurrent intravenous infusion of 5-fluorouracil. Median time to recurrence following initial treatment was 18 months. Prior radiation doses to the pelvis ranged from 40 to 66 Gy with a median of 50.4 Gy. Reirradiation doses ranged from 20 Gy to 49.2 Gy with a median total dose of 36 Gy. Eight to 12 weeks following reirradiation patients underwent surgical resection of disease. Thirty-one patients had gross total resection of tumor.

Patients have been followed for 24 months to 75 months after reirradiation for recurrent rectal cancer with a median follow-up of 3 years. Reirradiation was well tolerated, with seven patients requiring a significant treatment break. Early termination of reirradiation occurred in five patients because of diarrhea, moist desquamation, or mucositis. No surgical mortality was observed. Postoperatively, two patients developed delayed wound healing. Late complications included six patients who developed small bowel obstruction with three patients developing a bowel fistula. The median survival of patients is 45 months, with a 5-year actuarial survival of 24%. Actuarial local control at 5 years was 45%. The rate of distant metastases was 17%.

Selected patients with rectal cancer who develop recurrent disease following previous adjuvant therapy can undergo successful curative surgical resection following reirradiation/chemotherapy with significant long-term survival.