Related Experiment Videos
Complete remission after radiotherapy for recurrent rectal cancer
M Hayashi1, Y Shirai, K Hatakeyama
1Department of Surgery, Niigata University School of Medicine, Japan.
Hepato-Gastroenterology
|January 14, 1998
Summary
Radiotherapy can achieve complete remission in rare cases of pelvic cancer recurrence. This case study shows successful treatment of a small rectal cancer recurrence with radiation and chemotherapy, leading to no evidence of disease.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
Background:
- Radiotherapy is established for palliative care in recurrent or inoperable cancers.
- Complete tumor remission via radiotherapy is infrequent.
Observation:
- A 68-year-old male presented with a small pelvic recurrence of adenocarcinoma near the rectal stump.
- The recurrence was diagnosed 8 months post-Hartmann procedure for rectal cancer.
Findings:
- The patient received whole pelvic radiotherapy (39.4 Gy in 22 fractions over 4 weeks) with 5-fluorouracil radiosensitizer.
- Post-radiotherapy, surgical resection revealed no residual tumor.
- The patient remained disease-free for 36 months post-surgery.
Implications:
- This case demonstrates the potential for complete histological remission in pelvic cancer recurrence following radiotherapy.
- Small pelvic recurrences may exhibit higher sensitivity to radiotherapy compared to larger ones.