The treatment of rectal cancer--the optimizing possibilities

• Published in: Revista medico-chirurgicala a Societatii de Medici si Naturalisti din Iasi Vol. 100; no. 1-2; p. 94
• Main Authors: Chifan, M, Dănilă, N, Niculescu, D, Târcoveanu, E, Georgescu, S, Epure, O, Andronic, D, Găleşanu, M R, Carasevici, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Romanian, Moldovan
• Published: Romania 01-01-1996
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; Rectal Neoplasms - complications; Rectal Neoplasms - mortality; Rectal Neoplasms - pathology; Rectal Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Rectal Neoplasms - surgery; Rectum - pathology; Rectum - surgery; Romania - epidemiology; Romania
• ISSN: 0048-7848

The authors studies 280 rectal cancers treated in the first surgical clinic of Iaşi in the period 1981-1994. Although surgery is the main treatment of these tumors, it cannot be and it must be not used alone. Surgery must be associated with radio- and chemotherapy, because is the only way possible to increase the number of resections for rectal tumors and the survival rate. For the 263 tumors operated the resectability was 73, 5%: Milles's operation 101 (36, 7%), Dixon's operation 81 (30, 79%), other operation 91 (33, 11%). We consider that Dixon's operation is the best choice for the tumors in the stages A and B of Dukes classifications. Preoperative radiotherapy can influence the tumor volume (downstaging) and decrease local recurrences to about 10-15%. Surgery alone must be practiced only in emergencies. Postoperative chemotherapy is mandatory and it reduces local recurrences and delays metastasis evolution.