Nonoperative Approach to Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Combined Modality Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities From a Surgical Perspective

Abstract

This review contains a surgical perspective on the evolution of the nonoperative approach to patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have a clinical complete response after neoadjuvant combined modality therapy, including accuracy of pathologic complete response identification, the timing between neoadjuvant combined modality therapy and assessment of response, the extent of long-term follow-up, and the likelihood of surgical salvage after an initial nonoperative approach.